Fly to Survive
by medusa's pen
Summary: "This is the story about how all Hades broke loose, kidnapped my friends, and sent the rest of us on a wild goose chase." When white coats attack the Argo ll and kidnap everyone on board except for Frank for their own personal purposes, Frank teams up with other allies and the flock in order to save his friends and fulfill the prophecy that predicts an epic quest to save the world.
1. Chapter 1

**WASS UP! So, I decided to begin this fanfiction because my first fanfiction **_**Rise of the Imp**_** isn't really that popular, so this is my second try at this so please read and review.**

**I actually wrote half of this on my ipod touch, emailed it to myself, and then copied and pasted it on the rest of the document because I didn't have access to a computer. Imagine typing two pages on a little ipod. I'm sure owlcity2013 can relate. (Hi owlcity2013! How's it hanging?)**

**Without further delay, I bring you **_**Fly to Survive**_**. **

FRANK

This is the story about how all Hades broke loose, kidnapped my friends, and sent the rest of us on a wild goose chase. You'd think the day it happened would be ridden with evils and sin, but really, it wasn't that way at all.

The story can only truthfully begin at sunset, on the deck, next to my girlfriend Hazel.

I slipped my hand into hers, giving her a smile as she relaxed into my shoulder. On the deck of the Argo ll, the view was gorgeous. The sunset made splashes of fiery oranges and vigorous reds against the soft white canvases of the clouds, which looked appealing against the darkening blue sky.

And it was all the more beautiful knowing Gaea was gone-and had been gone-for nearly a month now. Percy and Annabeth were out of Tartarus, safe and sound, and Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had finally, at long last, made peace with the help of the Athena Parthenos. Life seemed perfect, every loose end meticulously tied down in perfect little bows.

Now, they were heading back to Camp Half-Blood after visiting the Roman camp. Ever since we conquered Gaea and the giants, the Argo ll and its occupants, the legendary seven (that's me) and Nico di Angelo go back and forth between the camps, keeping peace and helping out. You can't smooth out all the kinks in a thousand-year old feud, no matter what you do to avoid the squabbling. It was exhausting, but if I had to choose between fighting Greeks and Romans versus Gaea the Tyrant, then it's a no brainer.

I sighed contentedly. Hazel's eyes were beautiful, golden and glittering in the dying light of the sun. Her cheeks were blushing slightly, from either the sun or from emotion, only Jupiter knows. I caressed her cheek, which she responded with the softest smile. We never did really share that many romantic moments together, but this precious, beautiful moment was too lovely to let go, and with no disruptions to ruin it…

Hazel leaned into me, slightly puckering her lips, closing her jeweled eyes ever so slightly. I followed her example, coming in closer, ready to kiss her, and then…

"WASS UP!"

I jumped a foot in the air, nearly ejecting myself of the Argo ll and into the open air.

"LEO!" Hazel and I said in unison, sending Leo laughing.

I felt emotion flush my cheeks, more embarrassed then angry.

"You guys fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Leo humored immaturely, that classical smile painted across his face.

It was harder to tell who was actually more rosy, Hazel or me. "Leo! Please!"

Leo put his hands up in defense. "Hey, no means to be invasive, but I couldn't resist. I originally came out here to survey our little problem." He gestured towards the sky, pointing to what appeared to be a storm in the distance. It was a clustered mass of ebony clouds, seething with lightning. It radiated anger, and it seemed to be…breathing?

Just as I took notice to the dilemma, the temperature switched from pleasantly humid, to frigid. After being used to record high heat, the sudden shift was chilling. I think my teeth even chattered for a few seconds before I could contain it.

"It was the weirdest thing. I was just in the control room, steering away, when the radar started to go crazy. It had been perfectly clear, you know, minus the occasional butterfly, and then it had picked up this HUGE storm. And, I'm not a storm expert, but that doesn't look good." Leo observed wisely.

_Duh._

"But, we've been out here since dinner." Hazel squinted, looking at the storm with confusion.

"That's the thing! It wasn't there! Then, without warning, POOF! It was just there," Leo squinted, lost in thought; "Maybe we can get Jason out here…"

Suddenly, the unbearable pungent odor of ozone filled the air. The clouds ruptured with heavy, cold rain. It came down in cumbersome sheets, and it drenched all of us in a matter of seconds.

Leo spit out a mouthful of acidic rainwater, blinking water out of his eyes. "…OR NOT." He said loudly towards the sky, the colors of his clothes darkening with each bead of water.

The thunder growled in reply, which Leo responded with a sarcastic smile. Then, he stared at Hazel and I.

"Have you guys been eating red meat? Get inside! It's raining!" He said dumbly, hiding his malicious grin with great difficulty.

Hazel and I made our way back into the control room. I'm not exactly the most graceful person in the world, so without Hazel, I probably would have face planted on the slippery deck several times.

We burst through the door a few moments before Leo, and I had this out of character thought about locking him outside in the rain for interrupting Hazel and I. But I quickly brushed it away. Leo was the only one who could actually navigate the ship besides Annabeth. I didn't particularly enjoy crashing out of the sky.

_What a romantic moment that had been. _I thought. I smile apologetically at Hazel, who returned the gesture.

Annabeth scarcely noticed our presence, cursing in Ancient Greek. You could actually see the wheels in her head turning, trying to decode the situation. Her grays eyes flashed with wisdom and intelligence as they flickered from the animated radar to random buttons, which she poked at with a slight uncertainty.

"So, Percy, you didn't piss off Zeus or Jupiter or anything, right?" Annabeth asked, staring at her boyfriend skeptically.

Percy, who'd been standing off in the side with Nico, Jason, and Piper, looked at his girlfriend defensively. "What!? No! At least, not recently…"

Annabeth looked at him, as if trying to detect a lie. "C'mon Annabeth. If I was lying, you'd see right through me." Percy said with a smirk.

Annabeth debated this, then nodded to herself, deeming the answer acceptable.

I couldn't help but smile a bit. It was always refreshing to see Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus, and healthy, even if that occurrence happened about a month ago.

"This is unexplainable. A storm just can't magically appear. They have to develop! They can be predicted! You can't just… UH!"

She gritted her teeth, and leaned against the wall, irritated. We all stared at Percy, expecting him to do something, but he just shook his head. "Trust me, I learned not to do that a long time ago… The hard way."

Annabeth gave him a deluxe, _you suck _glare. Percy just smiled innocently, which could only be interpreted as _I love you and please don't kill me!_

Annabeth smiled, but quickly hid it.

"But I just don't get it," she began again, rubbing her temples. "It just doesn't add up."

"Annabeth's right," Jason agreed, "I've _made _storms. This one just seems different."

Nico examined the clouds, and then intelligently said, "It just looks like rain to me."

Nico. Classical Nico.

"Well, it looks like were going to have to reroute." Leo said, water dripping from him, his usually curly hair plastered to his face as if saturated with super glue.

Annabeth glance at the radar, as if prepping to give Leo new coordinates as he advance near the steering wheel, flicking switches. But Annabeth was staring at the screen, awe-struck.

"Annabeth…?" Hazel asked her concerned. Not many things surprised Annabeth, so now the Argo II was quiet, waiting for an answer.

"I've never seen a storm grow so fast, it's like surrounding us. Its…" Annabeth was lost for words.

That horrible, cold feeling filled me, as if me someone was running ice down my back. Annabeth being uncertain was very, very scary.

Leo looked over the radar, droplets of water dripping on the glass screen. "Dang, were going to have to backtrack a bit to avoid this thing."

"Wait," I interjected, "why can't we just land or something."

"Well," Percy began, "we are under a body of water, and with a storm like this, it would be just as bad to land as to stay in the sky. Besides, do you really think it would be a good thing to land in the Gulf of Mexico?"

Grumbles of agreement vibrated the room. "Percy's right. We are getting some major wind speeds out there." Leo said as he flicked at switches and began to spin the wheel.

Now, for those of you who know their geography, and out there wonder why we are under the Gulf, you can ask Leo. Halfway through the trip from Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-Blood, Leo decided it would be a good idea to stop for tacos. But no, not just any old tacos, he had to get authentic Mexican tacos _from Mexico. _The tacos were good, but we are on a bit of a deadline, so no one really appreciated it when Leo changed course without telling anybody first.

"Someone might want to send Chiron an IM, to tell him that were going to be late, because I'm gonna have to back track. Looks like were going to be camping out in Mexico."

"What should I tell him, that were late because of a weird storm, or because we stopped for tacos?" Piper joked, fishing in her jean pocket for a drachma.

"Hey! Those were some quality tacos!" Leo said.

I watched as Percy rolled his sea-green eyes, and then watched as they fell on Hazel and I.

"Um… Do you want me to get you guys a towel or something?" he asked.

"What? Oh, yeah. No, I'll go get some. Leo, do you want a towel?" I asked as I reluctantly let go of Hazel's hand, who quietly slipped it into her pocket.

"Hmmm?" Leo asked, completely absorbed in steering his ship.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said, and then turned to Hazel, "I'll be right back." I promised.

Little did I know I wouldn't see her, or anybody, for a very long time.

"Although the storm is spreading out rapidly, we should be able to avoid it if we move fast enough..." Annabeth said, her voice trailing off as I made my way down the hallway to my dorm.

My dorm/room on the Argo ll was near the end of the hallway, so I had to pass the others dorms before finally reaching mine.

I was Roman after all, so unlike Percy's room, it was decent. The blankets that spread over my small bed were purple, resembling my Roman origins. My case of extra clothes was lying under my bed, half hidden in the shadows. Now, if only I could remember where the towels were...

I ventured into the bathroom, were three slightly damp towels were half stacked. I gathered them up, hoping Hazel and Leo won't mind them being slightly saturated, when the ship rocked to one side violently. Like the grace I am, I trip as the ship lurches hard to the right. My head collides with something heavy and solid, and to this day I'm still unsure what it was, and spots dance in my eyes.

Thunder rolls, so close it shatters my eardrums. Tongues of lightning, faster than whips caused the hairs on the back of my neck to rise in anxiety. I thought Annabeth had said that we were away from the storm…

In the control room, it sounded as if someone had dropped a nuclear bomb. Faint screams that were slightly drowned out by the mere intensity of the storm were now heard from the control room, only ways ahead. I foolishly mistake their cries for ones of anguish but too late I realized they were shouts of battle. The clash of swords and the banging of a hammer (Leo) mingled along with the chaos.

The Argo ll was under attack.

I shake whatever dizziness I still have away, and throw myself at the door, the towels abandoned. I grab the doorknob, turning it rapidly before realizing that I must have self-consciously locked it like I do every time I enter my dorm. Ever since Leo did the whip cream in the hand thing...

I fumbled with the lock before busting open the door; only to be knocked over again as the ship did a tight turn, nearly capsizing. But this time, I braced myself, throwing my hands out to catch my fall. The ship leveled out again, as if the invaders were wrestling with the wheel.

But what truly scared me was not the turning of the ship or the storm, but the noise level. It was getting quiet.

Too quiet.

My heart was in my throat. My friends needed help. They needed someone brave, they needed someone strong, and they needed a pair of claws.

In mid twist, I begin to transform. Dull fingertips transform, shifting into sharp, lethal claws, tinted jet black. Muscles morph until I take on a leaner shape. A stronger, more effective shape. My teeth shift, growing longer until ending in points. Fair tan hairs spread across my body, until reaching the area around my face, where it spreads out in a luxurious mane, which is a flurry of orange and tans.

I am a lion.

I pounce down the hall, my war cry erupting in a roar. I burst into the control room, a flurry of claws and teeth, trying more to terrify the invaders then attack them.

But I never got to attack.

Suddenly, the room erupted into white smoke, filling my lungs with poison, and sending my world into darkness.

**So, did you like it? Constructive criticism is OK, but please no trolling!**

**- medusa's pen**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, I stayed up until 10:30 pm doing this job, so I hope you enjoy this chapter, although it's not that action packed. But hey, it's the thought that counts. Review and maybe I'll mention you in my next chapter!**

**Cookies to all that read and review! **

MAX

Ever felt the wind on your back as you skyrocketed down towards the earth in a plunge before snapping your wings back and catching the current?

Of course you haven't! Only seven off us know what that feels like, and man, _what a rush!_

Just in case you've never followed the saga of Maximum Ride, allow me to offer a bit of a recap. My name is Max, a fifteen-year-old, sarcastic teenager with a can of kick butt in my pocket reserved for anyone who tries to hurt my flock or me. The flock, which includes Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Fang, Dylan (who's relatively new) and I were raised by the hands of scientist, at a place called the School, until we managed to escape awhile back. But we managed to seal our doomed fate, which was to forever be chased around by those who wanted to use us for their own selfish purposes. Several times, we've been captured, betrayed, and poked at, but we have also saved the world on several occasions. (Please, no autographs until the end of the chapter.) Now, we fly around, in search of a new place in which we can call home.

Oh, yeah, and we have wings.

So, in all, we've had some pretty crazy adventures, and some pretty wacked out experiences. I mean we spontaneously mutate for God's sake! When you suddenly learn how to breathe underwater, fly at the speed of sound, or meet your thought to be dead brother _twice over, _basically nothing surprises you anymore. And that's exactly how I thought it would be. A surprise-less world for Max!

But I was very, very, very, wrong.

My flock formatted back together after doing crazy, adrenaline filled stunts several hundred feet in the air. We were gasping for breath, smiles painted across our faces. Good. The flock usually doesn't have that much time for leisure, saying that were usually flying around the country, trying to escape petrifying doom.

"Did you guys see me? I was doing aerials! I thought for a second I was actually going to hit the ground! It was AWESOME!" Gazzy chirped happily.

"I know," I fluffed, portraying my encouraging leader/Mom role. "I saw every bit of it." Then, I flew over just to give his blonde curls a tiny pat, which were already messed up from the wind.

"I didn't see it." Iggy responded, gloomily.

In one fluid chorus, the whole flock announced, "We're rolling our eyes Iggy." Iggy smiled.

Iggy, by the way, was blind, even though he can fight better then Chuck Norse and build explosives. Please don't ask.

I finally took notice to the surroundings beneath us. We had been under Mexico for hours, but the flock was dead set on a city–who's-name-I–can't-even-pronounce near the Gulf to stop for lunch. It was my fault for asking the flock where they wanted to go for lunch, even though I voted for the McDonalds a few hundred miles back. But no, they all had insisted on Mexican food _in Mexico_.

"Max," Nudge drifted near me, "Are we there yet? I'm hungry."

"We all are, but you guys insisted on this particular place and not one that was closer."

"We voted for McDonalds with you." Fang and Dylan spoke in unison, before giving each other odd glares.

Awkward.

Just in case you're not aware of the famous Max/Fang/Dylan love triangle, it still exists despite the fact that I made it very clear that Fang was my wingman. Dylan was very aware of this, but I think that part of him thinks that maybe there is still hope of a Max+Dylan relationship. He was programed to love me after all. Poor guy.

I was going to say something to wipe away the awkward that obviously filled the air, but was surprised that I didn't have to. Just right there and then Angel shouted, "We're here!"

Nudge squealed something about food and fashion, while the Gasman and Iggy high fived.

"Okay, now guys, keep a low profile. Just because we haven't seen something evil in a while, doesn't mean we can let our guard down. Now everybody stick together and don't do anything…"

Right in the middle of my motherly speech, they dive in through the clouds, leaving Fang, Dylan and I in their dust.

"…Reckless," I turned to face the boys, "Well, I'm glad I got my point across. Lets go get them before they blow something up." I said, which was a legitimate fear.

A second before I was going to tuck in my light brown wings and plunge; Fang brushes his hand against mine. "Can I have a word with you privately?" He asks quietly.

Dylan looks at me expectantly, wondering if he should stay or catch up with the rest of the flock. I glance at the sincerity in Fangs dark eyes; then nod at Dylan to go join the rest of the flock. With one look behind his shoulder, Dylan dives through the clouds to catch up with the rest of the flock.

"So, what's up?" I ask, because you never know with Fang.

"Am I the only one nervous about the amount of activity we've seen these days?" Fang asked.

And by "activity" Fang means evil, which we hadn't seen any of for a long time. And by a long time, I mean a good couple of months, which was a new record.

"I know," I spoke quietly, "I can't help feeling like it's the calm before the storm."

For those weeks, I'd honestly felt like a nervous train wreck. This suspicious era of peace only increased my already high paranoia, and it had taken every nerve in my body not to scream like an idiot. In fact, it felt like someone had taken a huge weight off my shoulders the moment Fang had asked that question.

Fang nodded, in the trance of thought. "It makes me wonder what they are up to."

Without warning, Fang then pulls me close to him, in mid air, and kisses me. All the worries that had consumed me at that moment seemed to evaporate, but only for a second because then my calorie deprived stomach growls, shattering the mood.

Fang laughed softly, then dives towards the city, and I race after him, positive that I had been blushing.

* * *

I down my ninth (delicious!) taco, which finally manages to satisfy my hunger. Being half bird and all, I can suck down more calories then your average fifteen-year-old girl, despite being less then one hundred pounds.

Fang was sitting next to me, eating his last taco in silence, watching the rest of the flock run around the busy streets of Mexico. It was strangely serene, minus the claustrophobic amount of people. It was the first time in years where my nerves weren't on the verge of exploding while I was full of food. Trust me, that was the picture of heaven for a girl like me.

Too bad that was all about to change very soon.

Angel, the youngest but plausibly the most powerful in the power department, comes up to me with an expression of concern and worry.

_Uh-oh._

"Max," she said, her words so panicked that they were slightly slurred together, "Someone's in trouble. We need to help them!"

"Whoa, whoa! Angel take a deep breath! Everything is going to be all right." I coax.

"No, someone is under attack! I swear I heard it!" she insisted.

"Honey, what makes you think that someone's in trouble?" I inquired, half-afraid for an answer. Angel could get a little creepy, and most of her predictions came true.

"I heard a thought. It was panicked, and it sounded like his friends were under attack! We need to go help them! This is important."

"Angel, sweetie, I don't think it would be…"

"You have to go save them! I know you and Fang are wondering why we aren't getting attacked, and this could be your guy's chance to figure it out. Besides Max, you're all about saving others! Please Max, this is truly important, I can feel it in my bones."

Well, she did make some very good points, and now that the entire flock was staring at me expectedly, I felt as if I had no choice. "Okay, lets do this thing. Were do you think this though came from."

Angel smiled happily as she pointed over the Gulf of Mexico. Within seconds, the flock and I were airborne, with Angel temporarily in the front because she was the only one who knew where this distress call was coming from.

Man, if only I knew the trouble I was getting myself into.

About a half an hour passed without anything coming up. Nothing except for the occasional chunk of U.F.O. (unidentified floating object.) Or, as the natives would say, we saw _nada. _

"Angel," I started, "we've been flying for almost an hour now and we've seen nothing. The sun is setting, and we should really be heading back to find a place to sleep so that…"

"NO!" Angel blurted, uncharacteristically, "I know they're out there somewhere. Who ever they are, I swear they need our help."

"Angel, I think… Oh my god." I whispered as my eyes locked in on a object bobbing in the sea.

Everyone looking out in my direction, except for Iggy of course, who was begging Gazzy to explain for him.

"It's a warship," Gazzy whispered, awestruck, "And it's made of bronze."

We circle over the war ship, looking down at her. She was definitely magnificent, but terrifying at the same time. Intimidating, huge white sails loomed over the bronze cladded ship, which was easily more then twenty feet. It was complete with rotating ballistae, and a horrifying dragonhead that sat at the front of the ship, occasionally blowing out white-hot flames.

"This is so awesome!" Gazzy muttered.

"I don't think it would be safe to…" _Get on the ship_, but for the second time today, I was ignored in favor for something better. First tacos, now war ships. What's next?

"Oh, no," Angel murmured, "we are too late."

The deck was littered with spoils of war. It was soaked with rainwater, although there was not a cloud in the open, blue sky. An ancient Greek swords built in bronze laid gleaming in the summer sun, glinting sharply. A dented dagger, which looked like it had taken a very hard fall, sat rejected on the deck. But what was scarier was the amount of soldiers that were sprawled all over the deck, half conscious. They were dressed in slick black, with a ski masks pulled over their faces. Some were beginning to stir, and I bent down to help one.

I pulled off the ski mask to reveal a regular looking face. It was pale, with faintly red hairs poking out of his scalp. His eyes were a pleasant, diluted green, tainted with a trace of brown, although only half open. Freckles populated the bridge of his nose, colored a light orange hue. His mouth was open slightly, as if he was trying to fight to stay conscious.

"Hey kid, " I asked rather sweetly, "are you okay? What happened?"

I knew something was wrong right there and then.

"I have failed," he rambled, monotoned, "I have failed. I have failed."

Now I was confused, "You failed what?"

He struggled out of my light grip, reaching for a small test tube in his pocket, popping the cork at the top. "I have failed. There is no room for mistakes in this world."

He fingered at the tiny pill that had been trapped inside the bottle, before putting it to his lips.

What the heck was he doing?

"Max! Stop him, that drug is lethal!" Dylan cried.

I went to smack it out of his hand but it was too late. He had already swallowed the pill. I reached for his wrist, checking for a pulse, but I was only left with silence.

Tears pricked the edges of my eyes. _Monotones voices, strange behavior, and suicide…_ this had the School written all over it.

"Max!" I turned around just as the other black cladded goons jumped over the edge of the ship, diving into the sea, never resurfacing.

I was just about to dive in after them, when Fang touched my shoulder. "It's not worth it, they'll just…"

"Max, Fang!" Nudge called, fear edged in her voice.

"What?" I asked, walking into the control room where she was standing.

My heart stopped as I came face to face with a sleeping lion.

**What do you think? Next chapter, we'll figure out what happened to our dear friends that were kidnapped. Yay!**

**A special thank you goes out to owlcity2013!**

**-medusa's pen**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, I know this chapter is kind of short, but I felt like I had loose ends to tie up from the last chapters. So, hope you like this chapter anyway.**

**Thanks to all my followers and the people who clicked "favorite!" You all get cookies!**

JEB

I inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of jet fuel and chemicals, which wafted heavily through the air. Standing tall next to the pilots, who were entirely consumed in guiding the jet back to headquarters, I stared out at the blackening the sky, and I rewarded myself with a satisfied smile. We had done it.

The storm generator, a project that had taken a few years to develop properly, had been a success. It had served its purpose well which was to corner the demigods back into our hands without raising too many suspicions. It had been authentic, despite the speed. The storm had generated too fast to be realistic. But, they had ignored the signs, and we were efficiently able to quietly release our weapon: Generation Omega.

These mutants were half robotic creatures, with electronically engineered craniums in which allowed them to store memories and find patterns in fighting styles. They were genetically enhanced to be strong, swift, and tolerant to pain. Emotions only got in the way when fighting, so Generation Omega was made emotionless, to have no remorse or regrets. And the best part about this generation was that they didn't need to grow like other children did. They could be born at age 16 if necessary.

We have watched this band of demigods since they were very young, younger then perhaps they can even remember. We had predictions that these particular demigods were the most powerful group to be born in century, and we were ecstatic to learn that they were. Their names appeared in some of the most important prophecies in history. We knew that would be the perfect subjects to take part in this particular experiment, because only the strongest could survive this enhancement.

But, if you wanted to take down some of the most powerful people in the universe, you need a stronger force. This is where Generation Omega comes. We took hundred of these mutants and had them memorize fights accidentally recorded by stray security cameras, cell phones, and other devices. Pictures, documents, and other sources, including a spy, led us on their fighting styles; so the Omega's could learn how to take down the demigods. They got insight on their weaknesses, their fighting patterns, and even things in their personality that could be useful in battles. Hundreds specialized in one demigod each, so that they could predict each possible move they make.

When we attacked the ship, I though for sure the demigods were going to be crushed under the force of Omega, but they had managed to defeat more then expected. But, I have no worries. The ones that fell against the demigods were too weak to complete the task, and they know they have failed us miserably. They were trained strictly under one saying all their life, in fact, they kept a pill in their pockets for that particular reason: There is no room in this world for mistakes.

The seven captured demigods, kept in crates of adamant, the unbreakable material of the gods, were now mine.

**Read and review!**

**I think I might be posting weekly now. I was only able to bust out three chapters in less than two days because I had lots of spare time today. Many thanks!**

**-medusa's pen**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back, and I brought you chapter four! Yeah!**

**A million sparkly thanks to the following:**

**General E**

**Lk6lu**

**MORKIESTAR**

**Percy son of Zeus**

**Readersgotswagg**

**bedtime2000**

**Icefireguy**

**mjkcst**

**owlcity2013**

**THANK YOU ALL! **

FRANK

I opened my eyes, my head rolling. I felt my claws slowly melt back into dull fingers, my epic fangs reduced back into human teeth. My fur melted back into skin, my hair growing shorter and darker until it was again ebony and buzzed cut.

I rolled over and slowly released a groan. I had an increasing headache, as if my grandmother had given me another lecture.

What had happened, and where were my friends?

I heard gasps, and I struggled to get myself up, as if the poisonous gas was still effecting my consciousness, and stared towards the figure in which I had originally mistake as my friends. But, instead, I faced a band of strangers. _With wings._

This could have only meant two things, I was either hallucinating, or I was dead. I was hoping it was option number one.

The first girl was tall, perhaps fifteen, who had hair with blonde streaks that glowed in the sun. She radiated power and strength, both physical and mental, and I had no doubt in my mind that she was the leader of this…flock? Her wings were only half folded on her back were colored a light, cozy brown, with beautiful patches of spots that assembled randomly on them.

Behind her were six more bird children. One was blonde, blue eyed and strong, which reminded me of Jason. His wings were pure white, like a freshly washed sheet drifting on a line. Another had paling skin with semi-long black hair. His wings were a deep, ominous black, like a starless midnight. A reddish blonde who had graying eyes was staring into nothingness, standing closely next to yet another blonde boy who was much smaller. An African-American with deep cocoa wings and huge brown eyes stood next to the smallest of the group, a little girl about seven. Despite their different appearances, they each had shared the same expression-astonishment.

Suddenly, the leader of the group stepped forward, her mouth twisting in disgust. "So, this is how you get your sick kicks?" she asked, hatred burning in her eyes.

_Huh?_

"Don't play dumb for me kid. We all know what your doing here with your ship full of brainwashed mutants. We all know you were looking for us for your inhuman experiments! What were you going to do this time? Maybe dissect us, chop off our wings, and kill Fang for his DNA? Hmm?"

She was shaking with rage, her face dying itself a deep crimson. Her fist were balled up so tight, the skin around her knuckles had gone a ghostly pale.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking-" I stuttered.

"Of course you don't, you all don't! How dare you hurt other mutants when you're one yourself!" she spouted, her voice rising.

"Hey," I protested, "I've been called a lot of things in my life, but a mutant? That's new. I believe the correct term is demigod." Sarcasm always seemed to get Percy and Leo out of situations, right?

The girl was almost purple when she gave a cold laugh. "Yeah right, demigod. Son of a god, really? Somebody's got ego issues…"

"No, seriously!" I began, "I am a demigod, and there were others! They were all on the ship with me, and then we were attacked, and everything went black and…" To this day I don't know why I started rambling like an idiot. Maybe it was because I was _that _close to getting my face pounded in.

"Oh, things are going to go black all right." She said between her teeth, before lurching forward, ready to strike a punch.

I was just about to transform into a butterfly or something manly like that and escape, not wanting to hurt her, when a small voice rose up above the chaos. "Max, STOP! He's telling the truth!"

She stopped in midair, giving me a chance to actually get up. She glared back at the smallest girl, who looked at her with determination.

"Angel," she questioned, "how can he be a demigod? That's impossible!"

"But, he is a demigod. The shape shifting gift, that's from the gods." Angel said, "Besides, it's not like kids with wings are that much more plausible."

I was officially scared. How did Angel, the seven-year-old, know who I was and about the gods? Stalker alert!

"How in the world-" I started

"…Do I know all these things? I can read minds." Angel said matter-of-factly.

Of course! Silly me. It should have been so obvious that she could read minds. _Duh!_

Max contemplated this before finally relaxing. They entire flock was still staring at me, expecting me to offer clarification.

I cleared my throat. "It is true. I am the son of Mars, Roman god of war. I traveled along with the other seven demigods last year and defeated the Titan Gaea, who wanted to destroy the world."

The group glanced at Angel, who nodded, her face pale. No wonder. Gaea was pretty horrifying.

"So, wait a second, you mean like, the Earth?" The-Jason-look-alike questioned.

I shook my head, "Yes and No. Yes in a way that she was the earth goddess, but no because she was, well, evil."

"Mother Earth, evil?" The apparent blind kid asked.

"Oh, yes. She wanted to sacrifice two of my best friends to have the opportunity to rise from her eternal slumber. That's usually not a good sign."

A flicker of a smile played across his lips.

"I'm not sure I believe you." The black hair kid said, whom I later learned was named Fang.

Angel looked like she was about to launch into an entire speech in my favor, but I managed to hold my own weight this time. It was, after all, a bit embarrassing having a seven-year-old stand up in your favor.

"Don't your remember, about a month ago, those enormous earthquakes that destroyed half of Greece?"

"I remember! It was on the T.V for about a week! Monuments were totally destroyed! There was smoke, and fires, and, and…" One of the girls squealed.

"Nudge!" The flock screamed, and Nudge quieted.

"So," Max began,"that was all created by gee-uh, guy-uh whatchamacallit?" she asked skeptically.

I shook my head in a fluid up and down movement, and I launched into my speech, not leaving out any detail about being a demigod. For some odd reason, I felt I could trust them. Despite Max being lethal, she was a very good listener, which is probably why she was the leader. By the time I was finished with my lecture, the entire flock, even the motor mouth, were stunned into silence.

"It's true." Angel muttered.

"I'm not sure I've actually warming up on the idea of Greek and Roman gods being real." Max called out.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," I replied, "people with wings aren't exactly that possible either."

Max smiled slyly. "Well, I'm no daughter of a goddess. These puppies," she extended her beautiful wings, " these are from a lab experiment."

That's when we traded stories. I listened, my heart pounding faster and faster. Raised in a dog crate? Eating desert rats? I couldn't imagine what it would be like for them.

When she was finished, it was my turn to look like I ran into a ghost. (And no, I was not ripping on Nico di Angelo)

"We came out here because we heard someone was in trouble." Max said, "Was it you?"

My expression must have been priceless, because Angel added; " I can heard thoughts over a long distance."

That's right! It all rushed passed me now, the storm, my friends screaming, then it all going silent. Oh my gods, where were my friends!

"Frank," Angel said slowly, "when we got here, all that was left was a battle scene, and fallen invaders. Obviously, they were mutants, because they had no thoughts. But, I think they were just the leftovers of the battle. Frank…I think." Her voice trailed, and the flock shared the same expression-pity.

I added two and two together. The generated storm, apparent mutants, my AWOL friends, the flock's story…

"No." I protested.

I pushed past them and made my way to the deck, still lost in denial. _No, not my friends, _I thought, _not Hazel._

The deck did look like a battlefield in the ruins. After being ambushed, I assumed that everybody had taken the battle on to the deck, so they couldn't reach the control room and steal the Argo ll, although I'm sure that the intruders wouldn't even know how to even steer the ship anyway. Something caught my eye, and I reached down to capture it. It was Annabeth's dagger.

I started into, and my miserable face stared back. The image was twisted and corrupted slightly as it bent over every dent the dagger had. But, it was still me, my eyes of the verge of spilling.

"Frank, I think your friends were captured by the School." Max spoke, her soft voice fragile.

"What did they look like?" I asked.

"What?" Max answered.

"The captures. What did they look like?" I asked, my eyes still glued to the dagger.

"They looked," Dylan said, finally speaking, "like that."

I turned my head just in time to see a girl in a black leather suit lunge for the ledge.

**Read and reviews my friends! **

**COOKIES!**

-**medusa's pen.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay. I had some typing to do for school, PLUS a video about a book for English so I was booked. (Get it? I was **_**booked **_**in English. You can never get enough bad jokes.) **

**So here you guys go! A special, sparkly thank you for owlcity2013! And I wish you luck on your paper! ;)**

**Oh, and some of you are wondering how the flock can see through the mist. I didn't forget that detail. I should be explained in chapter six, BTW.**

**I apologize in advance for spelling errors. I didn't have much time to edit this, and I stink at editing. So, sorry... :(**

LEO

"Oh gods, he's not up yet! Jason, what are we going to do?" Piper said, frantic.

Her voice echoed, as if she was shouting through a tunnel. My head was throbbing, the blood pounding through my ears. I felt like I had just gotten ran over by a truck.

I was still thoroughly soaked, my clothes clinging to my cold skin. Wherever we were, it was drafty and the wind nipped at me. Everything ached, as if I've never walked my whole life. I was surrounded by darkness, so as the fatigue and discomfort in my head faded away, I could scarcely tell. My mouth was dry, and I felt shaky. Whatever they had drugged us with was some strong stuff.

"Jason," Piper stared again, "if Leo doesn't get up…."

"If Leo doesn't get up what?" I asked, my voice coming out in a thin croak.

"Leo!" Piper chirped happily, "We've been worried! You haven't moved for hours! Of course, that meant no sarcastic jokes, but thank the gods Leo!"

I managed to smile in the darkness. "Did you miss me that much?" I questioned. I made the mistake of raising my head to stand, but I collided with the top of something…hard, "Ouch."

"Don't hold your breath Repair Boy, and watch out for the crate top." Piper replied, crestfallen.

I felt around, my hands hitting the sides of my mini prison too soon. "Where in the world are we?"

"We don't know. All that we know is that we've been kidnapped by mutants." Jason said bitterly in the darkness.

I suddenly remembered that fight. My friends had raced to cover the deck, trying to protect the control room. But there were so many attackers, all dressed in black, that I had to hold my own near the wheel. I remember pulling out the biggest sludge hammer that my magical tool belt could give me, and I prepared to defend my ship.

But I could barely plant a single hit. They were everywhere, and they seemed to know your next move, and they planned on it. It was almost as if there were enough invaders for every possible move you could execute. I managed to perhaps brain one or two, and I'm pretty sure one of them was a girl, and steer the ship in funky positions to try to send them flying, but it was all in vain. I was repeatedly jabbed before thrown by one of them, whose identity was hidden with the aide of a ski mask, when they released what appeared to be poisonous gas, and I lost consciousness. The last thing I heard was, "Seven! Only grab seven!" before I finally fell into darkness.

I curled up in a ball and spoke very softly, "I remember, they seemed to know what your next move was, they were impossible to defeat…"

"Yes," Piper said, "They were even immune to my voice. A _goddess _fell for my voice but creepy kids in leather didn't. Go figure."

"So, we were kidnapped, no biggie, "I kidded, "But by who?"

"I think," Jason started, and although his face was hidden by a curtain of darkeness, "We were taken by…scientists."

"So, like old dudes in white coats with fancy mustaches?"

"No, I overheard them when we were being transported here on the jet." Jason began.

"Wait, we were on a jet?" I interrupted.

"Yes, now let Jason finish." Piper informed.

"Sorry."

"They were talking about how they finally captured their "test subjects" so that they can do some sort of enhancement." Jason finished.

"So, we're lab rats?" I said.

"But I think it's worse than that. I think that they have tried it on other people and it…failed." Jason spoke.

I really wasn't comfortable with the way Jason said "failed".

"You mean people have died?"

Jason didn't reply.

Horror planted a seed in my stomach. Good thing it was dark, or else I would have looked paler then Nico.

I sucked in a breath, suddenly panicked. I they needed seven, where in the world were the others?

"The others…" I breathed, my mouth resembling sandpaper.

"We don't know where Frank is. We think that he got away. But, the others…they were here. They took them away. The fought like hell, but there was so many. You should have seen it. I think Percy broke some guy's ribs." Jason replied.

"Where did they go?" I asked, afraid for an answer.

Piper began vaguely. "We don't know, the door opened, and then they were gone. We don't even know if they are okay."

"We need to get out of here. NOW!" I said, and I began to pound on the edge of the cage.

"Leo, it's hopeless…" Jason informed.

But I ignored him. I kicked and punched like a mad man, trying to bust open the door. I think I even screamed. Someone ought to have heard. Someone, anybody…

My hands shook as they bruised. Beads of sweat fell over the bridge of my nose as I eventually gave up. It was useless. I had learned two hundred kicks and punches too late that this thing was made of adamant, the cursed, unbreakable, substance of the gods.

But what was puzzling was the mere fact that they had even had adamant. It was impossible to get your hands on, even if you were a demigod. I mean how awesome would be an unbreakable shield of saber? Just ask Jason. But, the gods forbid the making of unbreakable weapons for fear that enemies would try and overthrow the gods. It was a smart, reasonable move saying that the gods had been tried to be overthrown twice in the same decade. So, how did nerdy _mortals_ get a hold of adamant?!

I leaned up against the walls of the cage, practicing my breathing. I ran my hand over the smooth, precious metal. Already knowing it was a gold hue. My fingers caught a glitch in the surface before realizing that they were slits, probably meant for breathing purposes. It would totally suck if your test subjects suffocated to death after all.

I heard the turning of the lock, which was probably the door to get in the room in which we were locked in. Talk about some serious security.

Light slanted through the door, weak, pale, and artificial. I peered through the slant to see my surroundings. The room was barely bigger then a closet, with the cages scattered on the floor. Four of them were empty, their golden doors still ajar. The other two that were still shut sat in front of me, who each had a matching pair of eyes peeking through the slits in the cage- Piper and Jason.

"Well, well, guess who is next?" A middle aged man spoke, his voice filled with pleasure. Behind him the thundering of feet followed. Reinforcements.

"Who in Hades are you?" Jason growled, "And where are the others?"

"I'm afraid your friends are…occupied." The man expressed, ignoring the first question.

"What do you want with us!" I blurted, and I felt my hands ignite, which happened whenever I felt extreme emotion.

"Such a curious bunch! You'll figure out that soon enough. Let's just say, we've been watching you for a very long time, and we can't wait to get started."

Well, that didn't sound good.

"You've already met Generation Omega I see." The man said, "They are quite extraordinary. They can, after all, take down some of the most powerful people on the planet."

"You mean the creepy, teenage, leather-wearing ones? Yep, they defiantly should belong to a group, but being called "extraordinary" is a little generous." I said sarcastically.

I heard a distance sigh, "Why do I always manage to find the sarcastic ones?"

I grinned.

"I don't have time for this," the faceless man said," Generation Omega was built for combat, for endurance, to be emotionless, to remember everything! Now, they will take you down." He pauses, probably turning to his half-robot minions. "Code 45-76, bring them in one piece if you would be so kind."

"YES." They spoke as one.

Creepy.

I heard the locks on the cage being fumbled with. I didn't have my tool belt. I didn't have anything that could be used for a weapon, except for fire. I pressed myself up against the cage, my hands a flare. When the cage was opened, I planned to spring onto of the attackers and fry them. I didn't like to use brute force to get out of stick situations, but this was one of those exceptions.

The golden door swung open with lighting swiftness, and I lunged forward like a jaguar attacking its prey.

But it was all in vain.

Immediately, I was caught just inches before my fiery hands could connect with my victims face, and was thrown against the concrete walls…hard. An impeding hand shot out to grip my biceps, but I threw a punch. For once, it connected, smack in the nose, which had responded with satisfying crunch. But, my victory was short lived. Double the amounts of attackers were upon me now, which doubled the challenge. ) One of the drone things, I mean, excuse me, one of the Omegas, gripped my wrist with intensity, bent on making sure my capture was a living hell. I thrust out my hand, still scalding hot, and clamped it down on my faceless attacker. Usually, that did the trick, but the Omega acted as if it hadn't registered the burning. It was either resistant to fire, which was more likely, or it had a dinosaur brain. I almost cracked a smile over that ordeal, but, alas, it's hard to laugh while getting punched in the mouth.

My teeth rattled, and I lashed out a kick. Not just any old kick, it was one of Coach Hedge's famous kicks. I deflect one attacker, but more just kept coming, and coming, and coming…

I faintly heard Piper's voice screaming in the background, demanding the Omegas to stop, but it was futile. Nothing worked.

I turned, falsely, colliding into a wall of sweaty Omegas. I tried for a punch, but a sharp needle pierced my skin. Instantly, my limbs refused to work properly, and I began to melt into a useless pile of Leo. My vision tunneled, and my hearing faded into echoes. Jason and Piper's screams mingled, and I disappeared into darkness.

Well, let's just say, it got worse. Fast.

When I reopened my eyes, I was strapped down to a long, metal table. The restraints around my wrists and feet were also crafted of that stupid, unbreakable adamant, so my struggling was in vain. The room was white, almost too white. It was as if I had been shoved in the middle of a whiteout. A neat set of cabinets lined the wall left of me, which was filled to the brim with only Zeus knows what. The door was solid, minus the pathetically tiny window, and it had a dozen unique locks that secured it. The florescent, cylinder lights glared down at me with such harshness, it burned my eyes. The whole room was filled with the heavy, suffocating scent of chemicals and medication, and I immediately knew that things were about to go very wrong.

Suddenly, the locks twitched and were fumbled with, and the door swung open. I tried to lift my head, but it still swam with whatever drug that had been injected into me. I laid it back down with a groan.

"Omega 113.5, keep visual on the specimen. Do not alter it."

_It? Did he just call me an It?_

"Yes," it spoke, monotone and emotionless.

The foreign voice that had just commanded 113.5 must have been satisfied, because I heard the door click shut a few seconds later.

Even though I was on the verge of passing out, I lifted my head to see my new prison keeper. She wore the same outfit as the other Omegas, a wet suit made out of leather with dark, lustrous boots. Her dark, black hair was cut short, the ends just curving over her chin, her bangs pushed over the side so that her right eye was no longer visible. The other eye, uncovered by her jet black hair, was sterling silver, staring at me without a drop of emotion. She looked slightly familiar, but I couldn't seem to remember where i'd seen her before. "So, what's up?" I asked casually, my voice small.

She still just stared at me, emotionless, automaton-like.

"You're not much of a social person, are you?" I asked.

I expected this to go on forever, but something unexpected happened-she smiled.

I blinked. If what the man had said was right, weren't these things supposed to be emotionless?

"Didn't expect that, did you?" She asked, her soft voice filled with laughter.

"Aren't you supposed to be, like, a robot?" I inquired still puzzled.

She walked around the room, reaching for the sink, running the water, "Yes, actually. I'm supposed to be."

_Okaaay?_

"Are you okay?" She asked, and then she pressed a damp cloth on my forehead, where it stung. I must have gotten a cut from the fight, and had been too wrapped up in my situation to take notice.

She put pressure on the cloth when a thought came to me, "Hey, you are the girl from the ship! You're the one I brained with my sludge hammer!"

I remembered the scene clearly. She had her ski mask off for a few seconds, and the blur of short black hair had caused me to swing my hammer. It had been a lucky shot, but she did crumble.

A look of horror crossed her face, then one of concern. It was still weird to see a non-robotic Omega, and I couldn't get over how odd it looked.

"I wasn't on the ship. I've been here, at the new location of the school, the whole time." She sounded depressed, "You probably saw my twin sister. I am 113_.5_, after all."

"Wait, you have a twin?"

She nodded.

"So, where is she?" I inquired as she applied some sort of ointment to the gash in my head, which stung on contact.

"She didn't return with the others." She said softly, "You see, us Omegas live under a policy. _There is no room for mistakes. _We have to be perfect. If were not, we're terminated. Usually, by our own will."

I sucked in a breath. I suddenly felt guilt, terrible guilt. If her sister wasn't successful in capturing me, then was she… terminated? Did she kill herself because I had defeated her?

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that…" I began, guilt building.

Realization made her eyes bug. "What? You think my sister killed herself! Hah! I'm not worried about that. I just miss her, that's all. It's probably better for her, rather then being caught up in this horrible place."

"What do you mean by that? I mean, I'm pretty sure this place isn't a walk in the park…"

She laughs softly. "Well, like I just said, there is no room for mistakes in my world, and I'm a walking, talking mistake. Us Omegas were meant to be emotionless and unable to have thought process, but here I am. Lynn and I, we both are the same. If I show emotion, I'm dead meat."

I felt bad for her. She wasn't even allowed to think freely or even make a mistake. If I was an Omega, well, I would've have been dead a long time ago.

"That really sucks." I said.

"Well, that's one way to wrap it up." She said, smiling.

I smirked. I liked this girl.

"I hate to ask, but where are we?" I asked.

Her smile vanished. "We are at a little place called The School…"

"Eww, I hate school."

"Well, then you're really going to hate this one. The first School was actually set aflame, but this one was built in the Himalayas after scientists began lead on a new project, a better project."

"Wait a second, we're in the Himalayas?" I gasped.

"That's seriously your only concern at the moment? Don't you want to know what the project is?" 113.5 asked.

"Of course. Do continue."

"This project is supposed to take a human being and make them even stronger by combining avian DNA and human DNA in one body after the embryo stage. This would not only include increase in muscular growth and a massive decrease in body weight, but it would give them avian qualities."

My look must have been priceless, because she continued, "They are basically going to graph bird cooties into somebody…"

"Ah. Now you're speaking English." I said, grateful.

"…And that somebody is you."

I did a double take. "Excuse me?!"

"This experiment requires a powerful human to begin with. In the past, they were able to give avian DNA to infants, and exactly six were successful. Soon afterwards, they began secretly testing other older children to see if they could plant avian DNA into them, but each attempt failed. That's when they discovered the demigods."

"They found the demigods after discovered a drug that allowed anyone to see through the mist, which all Omega's and Doctors can see through now. They even bribed the minor gods later in the second Titan War to get the adamant. They chose unclaimed demigods, so that it would go unnoticed. They tried on several of them, but each of them failed. They died horrible, painful deaths. They weren't strong enough for the experiment, so intolerant to pain, that their bodies just gave up on them. They were debating on giving up the idea, but that's when we meant you guys, the seven."

"This story is just making me all warm and fuzzy. And I take it by your tone that you can't exactly free me either." I said, nearly overtaken by nausea. I was about to be a candidate in an experiment were thousands of demigods have failed… this was going to be a major flaw in my agenda.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I'm just warning you. And, no, I can't break you free. These adamant restraints are virtually unbreakable, and if I was to bust you out, I would be caught, terminated for being a mistake, and then you'd be back in custody. We would get no where."

I stared into the distance, lost in thought.

"But this is were Omegas come in. After learning about you, they wanted you. Badly. So, to beat a force so powerful, they needed an equally powerful force. Years of designing took place to create a weapon more powerful then the world had ever seen-us. We we're designed to defeat you, and albeit any Omega can challenge any of the seven successfully, each of us is specialized in one demigod in particular. Obviously, I specialize in you; Leo Valdez or specimen Alpha 4, and I'm designed so. I am fire proof, as you are, for example."

"Hold the phone here," I started, "You know everything about me? And my friends?"

"We have collected thousands of sources, from documents, to accidently caught videos. Also, I can access them with my mind due to my half robotic brain. And, I remember everything."

Suddenly, her silver eyes went completely red. "Leo Valdez, male, born a six pounds, seven ounces. Mother, Esperanza Valdez, father, Hephaestus, god of the forge and fire, date of birth is…"

"Okay, I get it. You know a lot about me. That isn't, like, creepy or anything, right? I mean, at first I thought the red-eyed vampire thing was weird, but this just takes it to a whole new level of odd. " I said.

She laughed, her eyes still glowing red. "The red glowing eyes conforms that I am accessing my data bases. We also have this video of you crashing landing when Festus fell out of the sky on your first quest. After you get by the mist, its pretty funny. You should see the look on your face."

"Yes, well, that's not one of my greater moments." I reply.

The red faded away, returning to its silver state. She gave me a sad smile as she strolls over to one of the drawers and reaches for a certain substance.

"Yes, I may not have the power to save you all, but I'll help you survive the best that I can. I already checked on the others, but you're the only one that was actually awake when it happened."

She opened the crinkly package to revel an unfriendly looking syringe.

"How are the others? Percy? Annabeth? Nico?" I questioned, suddenly worried.

"They are all okay, I believe," She sounded a little unsure, which was a bit frightening, "I'm just going to give you this quick shot. It will be near painless."

"What do you mean by "near" painless?" I question.

Before I can even protest, she had the needle in my wrist. The instant the liquid hit my bloodstream I was filled with the sensation of numbness.

"What was this for?"

"Just in case."

She had just trashed the needle when the locks on the door rattled again. She instantly went rigid and dead eyed.

"Wait a second, I didn't get your name. Unless it is truly 113.5…"

"My name's Amel-"

She was cut off short as the door swung open, and several nerds in white lab coats entered the room.

"Omega 113.5, you're services in this room are no longer needed. You're assistants is required in room 65B." One of them spoke, an elderly lady with dull, long, silver hair.

"Yes." 113.5 spoke, then she rushed out of the room.

The elderly woman gestured to the other assistance behind her, and they rushed around the room gathering shiny, pointed supplies that looked mildly dangerous.

"Hello, Alpha 4, how is your day?" The old lady cackled. Her smile reminded me of Gaea.

Creepy.

"I've never been better." I replied sarcastically.

She smiled past my sarcasm, "I'm Dr. Hoarfrost. Today, we are going to take samples."

"Samples. Yummy." I remarked.

A creepy, slow smile grew across her face, filling my insides with frost. "I'm glad we agree. Dr. Mort, would you mind handing me tool number 30?"

"Very well Doctor."

I watched a short and acne covered Dr. Mort gave Dr. Old and Creepy the longest, sharped knife I've ever seen.

"Shall we begin?"

**Thank you!**

**~ medusa's pen**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! So, I finally finished this chapter and it has two POV's in it. One for each of my Omega twins, so I hope you like that! Thank you to all my beautiful followers and favorites.**

**So, enjoy!**

**Excuse my messed up grammar.**

LYNN

"Okay, so run me by this one more time." Frank said, a look of confusion and hidden grief painted on his face.

I sighed. "I am an Omega, Omega 113 to be exact. I was especially designed to take on Leo, or Alpha 4, and aide in his successful capture. I know everything about him, and about you guys too. Because of my half- robotic brain, I am able to access databases that are much like a computer, Wi-Fi included, only better. It can even predict the enemy's next move. Also, I hardly ever forget anything.

Us Omega's live under a policy- there is no room in this world for mistakes. We were built so to be emotionless. So, because I can think for myself, I'm a living mistake. Whenever an Omega is built incorrectly or fails, they are terminated, usually by his or hers own terms."

"So that would explain the boy with the lethal drug in his pocket, and the Omegas that plunged into the Gulf." Max said.

I nodded, exhausted. I had tried to make my daring escape after Leo had rendered me unconscious with a blind whack of the hammer, but I really had no desire to jump in extremely polluted water. Also, I had been stunned the moment that Fang announced my presents. My databases had kicked into high gear, and I immediately knew that not only was Frank still on the Argo ll, but the flock, seven of the greatest avian combinations, had also made their way to the ship! Was it just fate that the flock was being introduced to the demigod world right when the school was getting involved in it?

I wasn't your typical kill on sight Omega, and I personally hated the idea of attacking heroes and using them as test subjects for an experiments that I, being a field agent and not a guard like my twin sister Amelia, hardly knew about. Plus, I had a pact to be loyal to.

My heart twisted when I remembered her name. She too was a "mistake". We had grown up together, acting like dead eyed drones for the sake of survival. She had been the only one I could talk to. Except for, of course, Zephyr and Case, but they were terminated a long time ago...

I quickly shook the thought away. I was in a room with a mind reader after all.

"And the red eyed glowing thing?" Frank asked.

"That just means that I'm assessing my databases. It's like and indication."

I shifted in the chair that I was tied to. I had allowed myself to be taken captive by the flock and Frank so that I could build up something that our pact desperately needed in order to succeed trust. If the group knew that I wasn't evil, then I could help them. I closed my eyes, and the flashback flowed.

Amelia and I were walking, heading to bed. Our beds were basically stacked cubbies on the wall with numbers assigned to each square of space. Being twins, our cubbies were right next to each other. This also happened to be the place that wasn't monitored by cameras, so Amelia and I could actually talk.

It was late, and all the other Omegas were tucked into their slots like lunch boxes in a kindergarten classroom, already asleep, obeying their curfew. Amelia walked a few more steps before sitting down, crossing her legs in a pretzel formation, looking crestfallen. We didn't exactly have the best life, but she was usually the sunniest person- always looking on the bright side. But at that moment, she looked like she just had her heart ripped out.

I sat besides her, in attempt to comfort my twin, "Hey, what's wrong?"

She had her hands over her eyes, the rest if her visage completely covered by her wrists. She side glanced at me, her one silver eye not hidden by her hair met my gold one that wasn't blanketed in my own hair. (We are, identical twins after all. Same everything…minus the eye color.)

She inhaled deeply, as if she was combating the horrors of the truth.

"You know the boy that I was assigned to watch?"

"Yeah. He was the boy with the special healing powers, right?"

She nodded, then in a quiet, almost inaudible whisper, she said, "He's dead."

Her eyes were brimming with tears. I was shocked. Utterly shocked. I had never seen Amelia cry before. Now, a silver tear managed to escape from her eyes.

I wrapped my arms around her, to console my poor sister. Yet, I was confused. Dozens of experiments that she had watched before had either been moved out or terminated, and she never even shed a tear. It's not that she was heartless. But, showing emotion is kind of dangerous in our case.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. He's in a better place now. He's out of this hell hole."

I watched as Amelia withdrew from my embraced and wiped away that single tear that had been traveling down her cheek with such force that it left an unattractive red blotch on her skin.

"Yeah, and now he's in another one. I just feel _so _better Lynn." She sniffled, not even bothering to smile at her own sarcastic comment, "He was so funny and witty, so full of dreams that will never be fulfilled…"

Her lower lip trembled, as I registered the horror of what she had said. I held my hands up, making a "time-out" gesture, "Wait, you talked to him?! Amelia, you know what would happen if you were caught talking to him! You could have been killed!"

She looked at me with a dangerously calm expression, "Like it matters. All Omegas are terminated when they reach the physical and mental age of eighteen. Which is in two years, by the way. Besides, I thought I could help him. I thought I could maybe…"

She shook her head, her despair turning bitter and angry, "I was stupid. I should have known how this was going to end. I have the whole _freaking _Internet implanted in my brain. I have an IQ of, like, a million jillion! And I still dream like a little girl!"

I watched as she punched the ground, striking the concrete. She exhaled, gritting her teeth, "I feel like a Mary Sue."

I giggled at the thought of my sister being a Mary Sue, "Yeah, crying one tear over the death of someone after holding in the sadness from a years worth of hell totally makes you a Mary Sue."

She cracks a faint smile, and I'm relieved to see Amelia happy even though it fades away fast.

She laughs softly, "I just thought that things were different with Ethan. I thought that maybe I could prevent the unpreventable. That, maybe, things would be different for once in my short, pathetic life. I thought Ethan was a different case. So when I saw him dead…"

She was silent, in a sea of memories. I tried to comfort her by squeezing her hand, but it seemed in vain. When Amelia got into her own world, she seemed light-years away, and there seemed to be no way to get her back.

"… It was like Zephyr and Case all over again."

My heart seemed to stop in mid stroke when Amelia said their names. Zephyr and Case. Zephyr was Omega number 111, and he, like Case, her number being 112, was like us. They had the power to speak their minds and to have thought process. They were our best friends. They had tried to escape, and they had wanted to bring us along, but we had refused. We had begged them not to try, but they did so anyway. They were so close…

But they had failed. And we never saw them again.

I swallowed, "Their death's weren't our fault 'Lia. You know that as well as I do."

"But don't you think about it? What if we had gone with them? What if our strength and their strengths combined was just enough for us to escape. We could be free."

"Or dead." I added pleasantly.

"Lynn, I'm just tired… of everything."

"Well, don't you think that I'm tired of everything too? I have to go out and _capture_ these people. These poor people, with _lives._ And Zephyr and Case? We would have died, Amelia! Died! I hate sitting on the sidelines! I hate watching these people suffer! I hate watching _you _suffer! But, I just don't know what to do." I felt tears blur my vision. I had never felt like this ever.

Amelia stared at me for a moment, and then wrapped me in her embrace.

"We can do something, you know." She whispered, her voice tuned down to a hiss.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"You know that project? The one we were created for, project Alpha?"

It was _the _project. The one where the greatest demigods were rallied and capture, then experimented on. It was our most intended purpose in the world. I mean, I had been trained for nearly a year to specialize in one demigod in particular- Leo Valdez.

"Yeah," I replied, "it makes me sick."

"We should help them. We could guide them to safety and help them survive. I'm tired of living in the fear of being caught. I'm not afraid to take those risks anymore ."

I felt my heart skip. Not in fear, or shock- but in adrenaline. I felt rebellious. These guys are heroes. And, Amelia was right; we didn't have that much time anyway. I was sick of being pushed around. It was time to for the white coats to get a taste of their own medicine.

"We have the capability. We're smart, strong, and fast. We can do this. I can't watch another one die Lynn. So, are you in?"

She held out her hand, sticking out her pinky finger. I curled my own pinky around hers, completing the pinky swear.

"I'm always with you sis."

She smiled, and the pact was complete.

"So, how can we see thorough the miss?" Max asked, her voice shattering my flashback.

"You mean the _mist_? Yeah, I was wondering the same thing." Frank corrected.

"Well, I'm not for sure, but I think the flock can see through the mist because they spontaneously mutate. It's a common side effect from all the injections that they have endured." I clarified.

"And the twin?" Iggy asked.

I managed a half-smile, "Yes, my identical twin Amelia is a guard at the new school. She's Omega number 113.5."

"Why did you do it? I mean, try to kidnap my friends?"

Guilt filled me the moment he said the words, and I found I couldn't look at his face, "I'm really sorry. I didn't want to capture him, or any of your friends. It makes me sick. But, I had no choice. If I defied, they would know that I was a mistake and kill me, and maybe even my sister. I…"

Frank looked away.

"But I made an agreement with my sister... we made a pact! We promised to help you guys in as many ways possible. I may not know the exact location of the new school, but I can drive the Argo ll, unlike anyone but Leo, and I can lead you guys in the right direction. And the flock, they can help too."

Max held her hands, signaling a time-out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just because we ended up finding this place doesn't mean we're automatically going to offer our help."

"Max," I said, "I know you're not the most trusting person. I know that as a fact. But, you also have some loose ends that need to be tied up."

Her eyes shrunk into slits, "How so?"

"There are also other mutants their, just like you Max. Just like your family. Besides, the person that leads this whole new school is lead and created by none other then Jeb."

She stared right at me, her eyes larger then quarters. I had struck a nerve.

"You can stop all this nonsense once and for all. You and the flock are the only group of people that can get close to him. You can defeat him. And with the demigods, you'd be unstoppable."

Max studied me. Then, she directed her attention towards Angel, "Is all this true?"

Angel nodded, "Everything she's said has been true."

"Well help you Frank. Let's kick some white coat butt!"

I laughed, "Now, can I please get out of the chair?"

Everyone glance at Angel again, who nodded.

"Here, I'll untie you." Frank offered.

"No need." I said, and with ease I snap the rope and stand, stretching out stiff muscles.

"You could do that the whole time?!" Dylan questioned, staring at me with a look of awe.

"Yes. I wanted you guys to know that you could trust me."

"Oh. Well then…" Dylan retorts.

I stood in the control room, and access my databases, which filled my eyes with that eerie red glow. Soon, every button had a purpose that I understood. I reached out to touch them, my world washed in red, and they responded. The ship that had crashed in the Gulf rose in the air, slowly but steadily.

"So, where is this new school?" Max inquired, stilled pumped from my motivational speech.

"Where going to the Himalayas. It's an "out of the way place," perfect for evil scientist to experiment on children and teens."

"Can they at least use their powers to defend themselves?" Frank asked as the ship lifted off into the sky, rocketing higher and higher, "Or maybe send them an Iris message?"

"I doubt they can use their powers. They have yet another chemical that can stun their powers for about twelve hours. Some of the demigods got them right away, like Percy, Jason, Piper, and Nico, while the others would get them later, like after arriving at the school. I don't know the science about that. I think it had to do with how they took samples and stuff, but you know, whatever. Also, you cannot send any messages without being caught. It would already endanger them more then they already are."

Frank nodded, taking in the news. Why do I always have to be the one that delivers the bad news?

"I know that they'll be experimented on, but what exactly are they going to do to them." Frank questioned, his voice fragile.

I had everybody's undivided attention now. Even the flock, which had been marveling at the glory of the ship and trying to process everything that had just happened, had paused and was now staring directly at me.

"Frank," I began, "Your friends are getting wings."

AMELIA

I opened the large door, after undoing about a million locks. It slid open soundlessly, and I slipped into the darkness.

Before me were cages of adamant, all hued gold. They were all closed and locked, their keys kept under heavy surveillance so it was impossible for me to infiltrate, no matter what I could do.

Fortunately, the door and room wasn't. In fact, thanks to being Leo's Omega, I was able to secretly wipe out the security cameras momentarily, so that I could sneak into this room with my loot of stolen sandwiches.

If I was caught, I was dead. But at that very moment in history, I couldn't care less.

"Psst. Are you guys awake?" I whispered, my voice scarcely audible.

There was a pause, and at that moment I was afraid that they had actually fallen asleep when another whisper came from crate number four, or Leo, "Hey, it's Amel-!"

"Amel_ia, _but whatever." I spoke softly as I sunk down to my knees so that I was eye level with the first cage. I don't know who it was, but I quietly opened the feeding hatch and slid in the sandwich before repeating it until everybody had one.

"So, you're the Omega Leo told us about. The one with a soul." Annabeth hissed quietly.

I laughed silently, "Yes, that's me."

"Thanks for the help back there. And the sandwich." Jason murmured.

"It's the least I can do, saying I can't even get you guys a way out."

"So, Amelia, how did you get these sandwiches?" Leo asked, between bites.

"I stole them from the scientists." I answered simply.

"So these are evil sandwiches? Okay then." Leo joked.

"Evil tastes pretty good." Percy commented from behind.

I decided to change subjects, "Are you guys okay? I mean, after the anesthetics wore off?"

"We're kind of sore, but we're okay." Piper managed to say.

"That old lady is _creepy." _Leo said, and the others chimed in agreement.

"Did you get the tattoos?" I questioned.

"Yeah," Leo said, and then he held up his wrist to one of the slots in the cage. In simple, black print it read:

ALPHA FOUR

"It didn't hurt much, did it?" I asked, concerned.

"Nothing hurt after that shot you gave me. I couldn't feel anything." Leo said.

I looked down at my own wrist, where my tattoo was, where it was imprinted as Omega 113.5.

"So now I get to brag to all my friends that I actually have a real tattoo." Leo said with humor.

"What friends?" Piper questioned, "Besides, you already have a tattoo. Remember, the one the Romans gave you?"

"Ha ha Piper, and yes, I'm very aware I already have a tattoo. It's just that this one was applied the mortal way, by not by being burned onto my skin thank you very much."

I giggled, and then turned on my databases before choking at the sight of the time. I had to be in my cubby in about five minutes.

"I have to go. I'll try to see you tomorrow. I'm really sorry." I slurred.

"Bye Amel-. See you tomorrow. I mean, you are my jail keeper, correct?"

"Yeah. See you."

I closed the door behind me, smiling to myself before quickly hiding it.

I liked them. A lot.

And I was determined that this time, it wouldn't end like Ethan's stay did here, or Zephyr's or Case's.

This time was different. And I didn't care what I had to do to make sure of it.

**Hope you guys like it! R&R! **

**-medusa's pen **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hiya papaya! **

**So, this is chapter seven, and just for the record, this is the longest I've ever continued a story! And thanks to all my viewers and supporters who keep me going because you're the real power behind this story. You guys keep me going! So don't be afraid to review because I do look forward to your messages.**

**Anyway, I'm going to dedicate this chapter to lostgamer64 for being a frequent reviewer and for just being awesome. **

**Also, another thanks goes to owlcity2013, my BFF, for also begging me to update.**

**So enough of this author note nonsense. Enjoy chapter 7. **

**Excuse any mistakes.**

FRANK

I was still in shock as I ran the cold water in the sink of the bathroom. The water scattered, making light rainbows in the whitewashed sink. I fished out a single drachma, flipping it in my hand, memorizing every blemish, as I practiced what I was going to say.

It was hard to get Max and the flock to calm down after Lynn announced that my friends were getting wings- actual, for real wings. Just like the flock.

So, what the heck was I going to say to Chiron?

"Oh Iris, accept thy offering," The drachma vanished in the rainbows, and then glowed slightly, waiting for a command, "Chiron, Half-Blood Hill."

The image blurred and twisted, until it began to take a new form, with all new colors. They then transformed into a picture. When it finally cleared out, I was looking at a middle-aged man in a tweed jacket and a scruffy beard. He was positioned in his wheel chair, although everyone knew that he was a centaur- a creature with the torso of a man and the bottom of a horse. Sound weird? Welcome to our world.

But Chiron wasn't the only one in the room. As I looked past him, the whole camp was behind him, eating dinner. The campers, assigned to each of their tables that resembled each of their godly Greek parents, were al chatting casually. The Aphrodite cabin gossiped as the Ares cabin arm wrestled and fought. The Hypnos cabin was half asleep in their pizza, as usual, and Bacchus, I mean, Dionysus, was grumbling as he flipped through a wine magazine, a can of diet Coca-Cola handy.

Oh great. How was I supposed to tell the whole camp that Nico and the rest of the Seven had been kidnapped?

Chiron turned, finally taking notice of me, "Ah, Frank. The Argo II was supposed to be here hours ago. I take it were having technically difficulties?"

The campers went silent and turned their eyes on me. Thousands of eyes, expecting news I couldn't afford to give.

"Ah, Chiron… Could I call you back? This doesn't look like a good time."

Chiron seemed to understand immediately, and he seemed on the verge of releasing me when Dionysus, not even bothering to look up from the pages of his wine magazine, interjected, "Well, you just spent a perfectly good drachma on this apparently so-important-message, so you might as well just spill it Felix Zing."

"Um, its Frank Zhang."

"Whatever," Dionysus dismissed, "please continue. You wouldn't want to be wasting my time would you?"

"Well…" I began.

Suddenly the bathroom door erupted, as Nudge ran through. She looked slightly miffed, her dark hair frizzy, as she drew next to me.

"Frank," she gasped, "Gazzy and Iggy are experimenting with the ballistae and Max told me to get you."

"I'm a little busy right now." I said through clenched teeth.

She then looked at the screen of the Iris message, and her eyes open in amazement, "Oh my GOD! This is so amazing! What kind of technology is this? And who are the people in there? Oh my GOD, can you see that girl! Do you see what's she's wearing? A celebrity wore that once. Who was it again? I can't remember. But, did you see that Frank? Anyway, who are these people? Oh, wait, this is Camp! The one you told us about! Hi demigods! This is so amazing I-"

"Nudge!" I warned.

"Oh, fine. But," her wings unfold slightly, the dark brown, chocolate feathers flirting out a bit, and I heard a collective gasp from the other side of the Iris message.

"She has wings!" An Aphrodite girl shrieked.

The whole camp was in pandemonium, erupting in chaos. Even the Hypnos cabin was awake, gaping at the other campers and asking for clarification. Nudge backed up behind me, tucking in her wings as her cheeks burned a light rose.

"Frank," Chiron demanded, his ancient eyes boring into me, "what is going on?"

I opened my mouth to reply, when Rachel Dare, the oracle, stepped into the room. A green smoke slithered around her feet, her eyes glowing that same eerie hue. The room was sent into silence. Even Nudge, the motor mouth, was stunned.

Two Apollo children, having accustomed to this sort of occurrence happening, grabbed the three-legged stool that had been sitting unnoticed in the corner, and situated Rachel carefully on the stool, where Rachel began to chant, in an abnormal voice.

"Frank," Nudge stuttered, "what's happening?"

"Shh," I said, "she's giving a prophecy."

Rachel began,

"You shall find your friends, taken and lost

You'll discover what you seek at a deadly cost

And only the heroes, the flock, and the traitor's combined

Can only defeat the new threat already arrived

And a villain long lost will soon revive

You have to fly to survive."

Rachel then collapsed, leaving me paralyzed.

LEO

I ran. I was weaving through the mazes, trying to find my way out. I had been running all morning, without stopping. My lungs were burning, everything ached, and I was so dehydrated my mouth felt like sandpaper. But, I couldn't stop. Or else…

ZAP!

I cringed at the jolt that fired up my ankle, losing my stamina and tripping over air, falling flat on my face. Stupid white coats. Whenever it seemed like we were going too slow, or not completing the maze fast enough, the gods-forsaken ankle bracelet that was firmly clamped on my leg would go off, and give me the loveliest shock. I had been jolted so many times that I was pretty sure that I would drop dead of heart failure any second.

"Alpha Four," the speakers blared, "run faster!"

"It's Leo!" I shouted, which was in vain because it only resulted in yet another shock.

I glared at the security cameras that were aimed towards me, watching my every move, probably timing me as well. Great.

I was in room 004, which was the observation/let's watch Leo run through the maze room. It was basically a bright white room with a gigantic maze in it. Security cameras were situated in every corner, which swiveled and twitched as it followed me. The moment you finished the maze, a trap door swallowed you and set you back to the beginning again, and you watched, exhausted, as the maze shifted on its own again, which probably only required a flick of the button in some unknown location where the scientist watched us, then shocked us when we went too slow. The shifting maze technology would have probably interested me on a regular basis, but all it meant to me at the moment was that I was going to have to run through it, again. And that I would probably get zapped until my brain scrambled, again.

What a life!

I got back up, trying to run faster, but having little success. I dashed through the mazes, turning this way and that way, when, at long last, I burst free, staring at the door that brought me into room 004. I collapsed, trying to catch my breath and expecting the trap door below me to fall, but nothing happened. The floor beneath me stayed stable for once, and I must have looked pathetic with relief.

"Testing is over." A voice said, and I watched as the security cameras went limp, and the lights dimmed out. Then, I heard a faint hissing, like a stalking snake, and I felt myself fall into darkness. I tried to stay awake, but it was futile. I was already exhausted, and the poisonous gas that they were pumping in was too strong to bear. My eyes began to close, and the last thing I remember seeing was the twisting of the doorknob as I fell into unconsciousness.

AMELIA

I twisted my way through the endless chrome hallways, anxiety crawling through my stomach. I hadn't seen the demigods all day, and although I was aware that they were just doing tests, I couldn't shake that haunting cold feeling that chilled my blood as if it had been infused by ice. But what frightened me more then the sick feeling was the sensation itself. Why? Because that feeling was horrifically accurate.

The night before Zephyr and Case escaped and failed I had that sensation, and the hours leading to Ethan's death I had the identical sickness. When Lynn left to retrieve Leo I couldn't even find the relief of sleep because that stupid feeling haunted my existence and my dreams.

And this time, it was no exception.

I logged into my databases, checking the time. 5:05, which meant that the demigods should be done with their endurance/agility/conflict-solving test, which must have been grueling. Hour's worth of running and electrical shocks, and I could do nothing about it. I especially felt bad for Jason, whose ankle bracelet had to be wired with extra electrical shock for him to actually feel it. I cringed at the thought of it.

So, that began my mission for water. I didn't have to be on guard until midnight, because they had had me working that night shift yet again, so I had plenty of time to sneak around. I was supposed to be in the Omega hanger, in my cubby, but I couldn't care less.

I ventured down the hall, careful to not show emotion or make eye contact with the other dead-eyed Omega's that marched very formally past me. I was about to make my turn towards the cafeteria, to steal something of more nutritional value then the mush they were feeding the demigods, when I heard a catcall from behind that made my blood run cold.

"HEY!"

I was instantly immobilized. So this was the end. Getting caught for being careless. Dying in a gas chamber as the demigods slowly die because no one was there to help them. I pictured Lynn, who upon learning that I was dead, would kill me.

Yep, that made sense.

I did what instincts told me to do, dive into the corner as silently as possible, curl into fetal position and pray to the gods that the scientist would be too stupid to realize that an Omega had just abnormally dove in terror, which I seriously doubted. The scientist could be described as many things like arrogant, self-centered, evil, and slightly oblivious, but stupid wasn't one of them.

"Hey Doctor Hoarfrost. Please Doctor! I have great news!" The same high-pitched voice squealed, and I found that I had to I yet again had the ability to breathe. But now, I was curious. Usually, when scientist told each other that they had good news, it was most likely something that would be horrific to regular people.

The voice that must have belong to Doctor Hoarfrost sighed, clearly annoyed, "What is it now? You do realize that I have important objectives to complete, right?"

But that didn't damper Miss. High-Pitched, "No Doctor! This is serious? You know the cell regrowth machine that we've been working on?"

Sarcasm crept into the Doctors voice, "You mean you _actually _got it to multiply cells to immense amounts in less the twelve hour? Really Doctor Ethu, you should give up those fantasies."

"But Doctor H, the machine has worked!"

The machine has worked!? This was huge. With it, they can regenerate blood and even recreate organs in less then half a day! All they needed was a pinch of DNA.

Oh no. This could go from bad to worse fast.

"It _works!_" Doctor Hoarfrost said speechless.

"Yes! And you know the project we've been waiting to get started on? We can preform the first surgery tonight! We have enough blood with the _special _ingredient added in. Although we've only have blood prepared for one person, we can still get a head start on it!"

"Well, what are we waiting for," said Doctor Hoarfrost, "prepare the operating room for the blood replacement and enhancement surgery. I want the subject in my room immediately. And only have the most prestigious doctors involved in this experiment. Last time we tried this, the demigod's heart gave out."

Doctor Ethu giggled in such a frosty way that it disturbed me, "Already prepared! The test subject is already being transported. All we need is you Doctor."

Then, they both went rushing down the hall, probably eager.

It took a moment for me to digest the horror.

One of the demigods were going to go through a dangerous experiment, and they could possibly die.

After figuring out how to use my feet for the second time today, I never ran faster in my entire life.

I found the room that held the demigods captive, killed the security cameras, and fumbled with the millions of locks that were on the door. I pushed the door ajar with immense force, and it bounced off the concrete wall.

"Amelia!" Jason called from cell 5, "What's going on?"

I ignored him, "Which one of you is missing?"

My eyes trailed over the cages. Locked. Locked. Locked…

"Oh, no."

Cell number 4 was unlocked and empty.

"No, no, no…" I mumbled as I tried to consume my panic.

"Where's Leo?" Annabeth demanded, taking in my demeanor.

I didn't even respond. Instead, I sprinted out of the room, closing the door behind me with such force, hoping that I might return, but having doubts.

I bulleted to Leo's operation room, twisting at the door handle, hoping that there was still time left, but it was no use.

But, they had already begun the surgery.

**So, I hoped you like this chapter. It seems that I'm in the habit of updating my stories of Wednesdays, so you can, for the most part, expect the next chapter around the same time.**

**R&R!**

**-medusa's pen**


	8. Chapter 8

**Two days. That's how long it took me to write this chapter! (I AM ON FIRE!) Since you guys wanted me to write this chapter so bad, I decided to crack down on it. I haven't even done my homework yet. (Tell no one!)**

**You guys do get to know what happens to Leo. Just because I started with Max's POV doesn't mean I'm leaving you guys in the dark. That would just be evil.**

**So, this chapter also includes minor Fang/Max for you guys, and some foreshadowing for the next chapter, which I will start hopefully soon.**

**Oh, and one last thing. It doesn't matter how many times I reread and check a chapter, there is _always_ one or more annoying errors. I would pay someone to read it and edit it, but I'm broke...**

**So, sorry for mistakes.**

MAX

Two days ago, I was in Mexico with the rest of my flock. Now, I was on some crazy mission with _demigods. _Our goal was to defeat Jeb, rescue some people who were scheduled to get extra appendages, and kick some serious white coat butt. There was something called Omegas, which are dangerous and emotionless, minus two, who had become our allies. And on top of it all, a prophecy was issued, which meant that things were now going to get more complicated than they already were.

So, in our case, it was a slow week, although the whole "children-of-the-gods" thing was a bit confusing. But, it _did _make a lot of sense. I mean, someone had to be messing with my life and ruining it besides the School, right?

I was slouched on some random bed, Angel snuggling close to me, fast asleep, when I finally admitted that there was no way in hell I was going to go to sleep. I gingerly removed Angel, and then tiptoed out of the bedroom. I left the room, and I began to walk down the hall towards the deck. I could hear myself breathing it was so quiet, and that's how it's been through the past few days. Frank had barely uttered a word unless it was a greeting or discussing the prophecy, which we had failed to decipher completely. Gazzy had been guiding Iggy around so that he could get his bearings, and Nudge had drilled Dylan on every fashion designer out there while giving Frank about a million and one questions that ranged from Greek and Roman Mythology to the kind of seasoning they used in their food.

I had to give it to Frank though. Even though he was obviously crestfallen about his friends, he was still able to calmly answer every one of her questions without exploding. That takes some real skill.

I was nearly on the deck when I heard a soft, "Going out?"

I jumped a foot in the air in shock, coming face to face with Fang, "Don't do that!"

He laughed at my scolding, "Can't sleep either?"

I shook my head, "I was thinking about going for a fly. Care to join?" I offered regally, which caused Fang to roll his eyes, but he grabbed my hand.

We cut through the control room, where Lynn was asleep, lying on the ground, leaning up against the wall. She breathed slightly, softly, her face placid as she dreamed. I had a heart for her. We were raised under the same people, after all.

"Do you trust her?" Fang whispered, his voice edgy.

I must have looked pretty defensive, because Frank seemed apologetic the moment that I sent a glare at him, "Of course I do! May I remind you that Angel is a mind reader, and that she trusts her? She did, after all, spill her biggest secrets to us. Also, she is willingly leading us to the new School, where she could be killed if she gets caught. In other words, where are your doubts coming from?"

Fang looked pained and defeated when he muttered, "I just want to keep you guys safe. That's all."

I immediately softened; them consumed him in my embrace, "Sometimes, you just got to trust people." I joked.

Fang shot me a look, "Trust people? I'm the one with trust issues here?" He bumped me playfully, and then began to guide me out onto the deck, "C'mon, let's not wake her."

We bursted outside, and the moment the ocean breeze filtered through my wings I felt infinitely better. I unfurled my wings, letting the feathers twitch in the salty air before gathering a sprint, and fully opened my light brown, freckled wings, catching the night air. I felt the sensation of lift, and Fang and I vanished into the starry night, flying among the diamonds.

See? I told you I've been working on my poetry.

We flew in silence, stretching out those muscles that had been neglected for the past few days; enjoying the freedom the wind gave us. Just when I was starting to feel my breath catch in my throat, Fang glided over gracefully, his solid black wings overlapping mine, careful not to interfere with my flight pattern.

He gripped my hand, his fingers meticulously lacing mine when he whispered, "Down there. Let's land."

My eyes trailed where he was directing, focusing on a half-swallowed, eroded rock that pocked through the waves. It was a perfect place to land for two.

_Just the two of us! _My heart secretly raced at the thought of Fang and I alone.

Now, lets get something straight here: I am not that much of a romantic person. You may not believe me, but it's true. But, ever since Fang and I reunited, we've hardly had anytime to just be _us. _Either the flock was around, or, perhaps even worse, Dylan was around, which made everything uncomfortable. Also, with all the crazy-crazy stuff going around, I just needed a break with someone I could put all my faith into. And, I will never openly admit this in public, but Fang was a good kisser. Period.

I drifted until my sneakers hit the stone softly, and I tucked my wings in loosely, Fang following. I discarded my tattered shoes, which I had been wearing without socks underneath, and preceded in sitting on the ledge, my free toes dangling in the sun soaked water. Fang mimicked my actions and sat close next to me, our bare feet dangling in the water together. Then, ever so slowly, I rested my head on his shoulder.

Fang then broke the silence, pointing out over the horizon, "Look Max, the sunrise…"

He was right. The first glimmer of oranges and pinks just grazed the horizon.

How stereotypical. Just two people, a boy and a girl, watching the sunset by the ocean, alone…

Fang leaned over and kissed me, and I kissed him back.

When we unfortunately drew back, Fang just smiled. He wasn't one for words.

I guess I must have been too blind by emotion, because I didn't even notice that Fang had been preparing to splash me until I was hit with the cold wave of water.

Fang smirked.

"Oh, it is _so_ on!" I said as I retaliated, engulfing him in a gigantic splash.

We repeat this, soaking each other as Fang laughed. This behavior almost seemed very un-Fang, but I liked it.

Suddenly, he gripped my shoulders, and before I could realize what he was doing, he swung swung me into the ocean.

"Don't you dare-" I started, but my words fell on deaf ears as we plunged into the darkness of the ocean.

It took me minute to finally remember that I could breathe underwater as I stared at Fang through the water. He smiled smugly as I glared at him, but failed because I accidently smiled. We resurfaced, and I took in fresh, night air as Fang laughed his head off.

"You epically _suck._" I humorously spat, treading water as I mercilessly pounded him with water until he was choking and gagging on it.

"Alright, Alright! Message received!" Fang begged lightly. And me, being a softy, stopped before smiling, satisfied.

Fang brushed a sticky strand of hair out of my face, where it plastered to the back of my ear.

"I love you, Maximum Ride." He whispered, and I could feel myself blush.

"I love you, too."

He drew in for another kiss, but he suddenly stopped, leaving me miffed.

"What's wrong?" I demanded.

"Are you seeing the same thing I'm seeing?" he questioned.

I backpedaled in the water, twisting until I was facing in his direction.

I saw what I had first mistaken for a cloud, but then quickly realized that it was too scattered to be a cloud, like an angry hive of bees, and too low hanging to be a cloud. It was like nothing I've ever seen before.

"What is that?" I inquired, shooting Fang a puzzled expression.

"I think…" Suddenly, Fang's eyes widened with disbelief, "I think those are Omegas."

LYNN

My nightmare had begun like this:

I was yet again in the new School, standing in front of an operating room. I watched as several doctors rushed out of the room, still dressed in scrubs and masks, latex gloves coating their fingers.

"I believe that the surgery was quite successful, although I'm not for certain that its heart will keep up, or if it will accept the blood. But other then that, it was a nice, clean surgery and I'm thoroughly please."

The doctors chimed in agreement, unperturbed by the haunting fact that whoever "it" was could die any second now. I felt boiling anger grow in the pit of my stomach, and I couldn't help but feel guilty because I could do nothing about it.

As soon as the doctors dispersed, a shadow caught the corner of my eye. I turned, and came face to face with my twin.

I instinctively called out before remembering that this was a dream, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed. She was _so _close, yet so far away…

She looked absolutely panicked and utterly horrified as she sloppily entered the passcode to grant accesses to the room, muttering pleas under her breath. She was still shivering from the shift she must have worked just moments before, as she hastily entered the room, gritting her teeth.

I followed her, immediately gasping when I saw who "it" was.

Leo Valdez was stretched out across the table; his wrists and ankles still restrain by adamant rings. Tubes and IVs ran through him; punctured through his skin. An air mask was placed over his mouth, probably for pumping chemicals and oxygen into him so he stayed drugged _and _breathing. He looked pale, paler then I've ever seen him before, and he was unmoving-virtually lifeless besides the beeping of the heart monitor that droned in the background. It beeped with rather abnormal speed, which meant the avian DNA infused in the blood he was given was already staring to change him. His Camp Half-Blood t-shirt was stained in what could only be blood, and was shredded systematically.

He looked so weak…

Amelia stared at him, her lips pursed into a thin line. Her silver eyes were fragile and shattered, like glass.

"I'm so sorry Leo, so very sorry…"

She lightly brushed his hand, and he didn't respond. I watched as her hand withdrew ever so slowly, a look of depression and confusion plastered on her face before morphing into complete terror.

Leo's short, rigid breaths seem to become less constant, and the pulses on the heart monitor seemed to gradually become less frequent.

No wonder Amelia had drew back with such fear. Leo's hand must have been cold.

"Leo? Please Leo, answer me!"

But she was only greeted by silence.

Tears crawled away from my eyes. No, Leo can't die, not after all he'd endured.

"LEO!?" Amelia demanded, but the heart monitor was the only thing that replied. A straight, never ending line…

His heart had stopped.

"No, no, NO!" Amelia screamed, her voice shrill. Tears were creating ribbons as they flowed down her face. Quickly, she raced over to the cabinets that lined the walls. She threw open drawers recklessly, digging around in its contexts with such ferocity that objects collided to the floor as she tossed them around.

"Please," she prayed, "please be here. Please, please, please..."

"LYNN!"

A violet shake ripped me from my dreams, and I came face to face with Max, who was staring at me with a look if concern. Fang, Frank and the rest of the flock had also gathered. But what struck me as peculiar was the fact that Max and Fang were both dripping wet, barefooted, and drenched in a salty perfume.

"Lynn, you were shouting in your sleep," Frank began unsteadily, "is there something wrong with Leo?"

"What!? No, of course not! Nothing is wrong with Leo!" I said a little too fast, which left Frank unconvinced. I promised myself that I would admit it to him later, but I wasn't ready to admit that Leo might be...

I shook it away, scolding myself. Amelia always had a plan, right? Right?!

Just when it looked like Frank was about to question on, Max interjected, "Um, Lynn, can Omegas fly?"

I thought about that for a second, trying to refocus, "Not usually, no. But, before I left, they were working in antigravity boots," I paused, then shot her a skeptical look, " Why do you ask?"

She pointed out the window, where I rapidly stood to get a better view. What seemed like a cloud was advancing towards the Argo II. But it wasn't a cloud. I could recognize my own species anywhere.

"Well, it looks like we've got company."

LEO

I was drifting. Farther and farther away…

Floating,

Fading,

Dying...

I had been awake when they had started the surgery. But I had long ago given away to pain.

I could no longer hold a grip on anything. Everything had refused to work.

I had recalled everything. My first quest, Festus, building the Argo II, destroying New Rome... Defeating Gaea. Every stupid joke I've ever told, my friends, the time I had pulled a prank on Frank; it all came back to me. Even my most recent memories, like meeting Amelia, flowed passed me.

Pain coursed through me, but it was faltering. Not because I was healing, but because I was dying. I could feel it. It was bitter and cold, and I couldn't regain my breath, couldn't even open my eyes.

I was disappearing into Hades, falling into darkness. I could hear the waves of the Styx River crash onto the shore, and the faint whispers of the dead.

_I don't want to die!,_ I had thought desperately as I floated between the barriers of life and death. I was too weak to even fight, and I was slipping; slipping into something unknown.

Suddenly, I felt a burst of something, and I was suddenly ripped out of death, and I felt that familiar rush of pain, and the familiar need to breathe.

I inhaled, gasping for air, managing to open my eyes, only to find that everything had been cascaded in a blur.

"Leo?"

It was Amelia. I tried to focus on her with little success, but I managed to identify her, and what she was holding.

In her hand, she held an EpiPen: an injection of pure adrenaline.

She had restarted my heart.

She smiled at me and her tear-filled, silver eyes danced, "Leo!"

I wanted to reply, but I had no energy left. I was so exhausted. So, very exhausted...

"It's okay Leo, everything's going to be okay. Get some sleep now. It's okay, it's okay..." Amelia muttered. Her soft voice drifted over me, filling me with a strange sense of comfort.

So, I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless slumber.

**Don't worry, Leo's alive. I'm Team Leo, so I just couldn't kill him.**

**Anyway, R&R! I don't think you'll get chapter 9 in two days though. So, just expect our usual date of Wednesday update day. **

**-medusa's pen **


	9. Chapter 9

**See? I told you I'd update on Wednesday! Boo-yah! **

**So, anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. It's only one POV today, and you'll see who it is in a minute. This POV took much longer to write then I thought it would take. I was thinking that it would only take a few pages, but it took eight! Nothing like a dramatic fight scene to drag things out! **

**Hope you all like it! And thank you for all the review I get. I look forward to reading those because you guys are just so awesome. **

**Read on!**

ANGEL

We raced onto the deck, looking at the growing mob of Omegas that were quickly advancing.

Lynn swore under her breath in Latin, which caused Frank to flinch, "How in the world did they find us? I'm pretty sure _I'm_ not chipped unless," Lynn face palmed herself; "they probably chipped the Argo II when they first attacked! I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier! They've probably tracked us, and now they've sent in the fleet to make sure we don't get anywhere near the New School. Great. Just freaking great."

Lynn drew in a shaky breath, still looking pale from her nightmare that she refused to talk about. That was understandable though. She had watched someone die.

"Okay, so if these things are impossible to defeat, then how do we take them down?" Max asked.

I didn't like to pry into minds too much. Even I wanted to respect that privacy, but I couldn't resist. I reached into Lynn's mind, and read her thoughts, _We are so done for._

Well, that was reassuring.

But Lynn put on her brave face, just like I've seen Max do hundreds of times, and began to instruct, "Omegas are born with _one _minor flaw. Because we have a half-robotic brain, we rely somewhat on our mechanics for simple things such as moving. If you can hit the circuit on the right side of our head, it'll momentarily paralyze us before knocking us out. It's near impossible to do, but you can do it. Just ask Le-"

She stopped herself at his name, _Leo. _He was the boy she dreamed about, I was sure of it.

Frank stared at her, and was about to question further on about Leo when she began talking again, "But we can deflect them as best as we can, or even steer them away. So Gazzy and Iggy, "She turned to them, "work the ballistae. Can you handle that?"

My older brother looked like he was just handed the keys to a bomb emporium. His eyes were bugging with excitement as he questioned, "Really?"

Lynn managed a weak smile, "Go for it."

The boys rushed off, a little too excited.

"We're going to have to fight here. I don't know if it's actually safe to use the Argo II as a get away because I don't want it to crash out of the sky. That's just bad all on its own. So the rest of us are going to have to fight out here. I can't fly, but I can throw."

Suddenly, six suave daggers flew from her sleeves, where she held them between her knuckles.

Everybody looked awe-struck and dumbfounded except for me. I had known that they were there the entire time she's been here.

"I'm not going to try to kill them, but it should slow them down. But, you guys have to be careful. These things are more precise than Erasers, and they have databases, which means they have information on how to defeat you. So if you usually punch with your right hand, punch with your left. If you usually just punch randomly, try kicking," then she turned to Frank, "And Frank, I probably wouldn't turn into any animals that you usually turn into. We have to try to throw them off. Maybe we can't defeat them, but we can try our best. Now, man your stations and don't get captured! If all fails, just try to get away!"

I was ready to jump into place. I wasn't new to fights, so I knew what I was doing. But this time, I had doubts. These things were unfathomably strong, thoughtless creatures that I couldn't even control with my mind. This wouldn't end well. One wrong step and _WHAM! _You're fresh meat.

Max, Fang, Nudge, and I were about to spring into the air, when Frank reached forward and grabbed Lynn by the shoulder, "Lynn, what happened to Leo?"

Lynn's eyes widened, but she quickly went placid again. She's had practice with hiding her emotions, after all. I looked into her thoughts, and the visions of the same boy appeared, strapped to a table, fighting for life. I cringed, forcing myself to stop.

She must have known that resisting the situation would only make things worse, because Lynn swallowed and began, quietly, "I think that Leo went through the first surgery already. The blood transfer surgery, so that he could get the avian DNA into his bloodstream. I don't know what happened but… I think his heart stopped."

Frank's eyes grew, "You mean…he's dead?" He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Lynn shrugged, "I'm not sure. My sister, Amelia, was looking for something. In the medicine drawers, I mean. I think she might have revived him."

Frank looked like he might have continued. But a sporadic knife flew in between them, wedging itself into the deck.

"Looks like the family's here." Lynn grumbled.

I launched into the air, flipping out my wings and taking to the sky. The mob, with glowing red eyes, was advancing. Fang, Max, Nudge, Dylan, Frank (who as now turning into what looked like a hive of angry bees) and I raced towards them. Lynn was keeping her ground on the deck, meeting Omegas that were trying to land on the Argo II.

The first one dove towards me, and I tried for a swift kick, but it swung out and grabbed my leg, tossing me in the air. Its emotionless face stared out at me as it drew a knife, ready to throw.

"Eliminate…" It muttered, monotone.

I faked falling, but sprung up at the last second, and cracked it against the head. I expected it to crumble, but it instead just proceeded in throwing its knife. I ducked, just in time, only to be tackled by another Omega so hard, my breath evacuated.

The new attacker and I plummeted, getting closer to the water. I felt its iron grip on my wings, crushing the delicate bones inside. Just when I thought it was going to break my wings, she abruptly let go, slashing her knife at what seemed like invisible predators. Giving it a second glance, I noticed that several Omegas were doing the same thing-emotionlessly swatting at the air like maniacs. Then I noticed that it was Frank in beehive form, stinging and biting the Omegas.

I caught myself at the last second, flipping out my wings and flapping up, connecting my foot briefly with an Omega's chin. But it wasn't even fazed. It lashed out its dagger, its metallic skin glistening in the sun, and it grazed my wings, sending white feathers flying in every direction. I could feel blood trickle down where the knife had nicked, and instinctively felt myself reach for it.

Wrong move.

The Omega took the opening, planting a quick punch that rattled my jaw. I immediately tasted the metallic thickness of blood as if flowed between my teeth. I crashed onto the deck, my head spiraling. It raised its blade, ready to make the final blow. I wanted to spring forward, fly away, and dive into the water, but it held me down.

Suddenly, a dagger flew out at the last second, impaling the attacking Omega's hand. It dropped its own knife with a clatter, emotionlessly staring at its newly injured hand. I saw a blur of black as Omegas tumbled off the deck, splashing into the ocean.

Lynn, with her eyes glowing red, was doing some crazy acrobatic Kung-Fu. She flipped backwards, avoiding the daggers of other Omegas, before bouncing off mast and diving into the crowd of her foe. She seemed to be the only one who could even plant a hit on them; punching and kicking like a demon. But although she managed to successfully use them as targets, they just got back up and charged again. They were never-ending, and they didn't seem keen on giving up.

KABOOM!

I watched with secret delight as Omegas flailed in every direction, the explosion sending them into the ocean with a triumphed _ker-splash_!

And for a single second at that moment, it seemed like we were winning. Max jabbed the side of an Omega near the head, and every limb in its body seemed to lock before it passed out, crashing into the waves. Nudge and Dylan worked together, getting two Omegas to crash into each other in midair. Fang avoided the blade of a single Omega before reaching in for a punch, which connected directly in its mouth. Lynn was still going to town, drawing out her last dagger and giving it an epic toss, causing Omegas to dive out of the way, and more shots were fired out by Iggy and Gazzy, and Frank the Dragon was now attacking Omegas, knocking them out of the sky.

But they just kept coming. They rose out of the water and continued their attack, with even more energy. I watched with despair as they reorganized, and then began to more precisely fight. A group of them reached for Max, launching their knives. Max ducked, diving out of the air a bit, but just enough for another Omega to grab a fistful of her light brown wings. I heard a sickening popping sound, followed by Max's painful cry, and she began to lose altitude. This caused both Fang and Dylan to dive for her, but the Omegas expected this. From behind, they dove and tackled, pinning them from behind the wings and diving them straight into the deck, letting go at the last second so that they crashed on the deck, which left them half-conscious. Before I could cry out a warning, I watched as they tossed Nudge, hard, into Frank. They collided, and Frank's concentration broke as Nudge dove into his head. They both fell, bouncing off the deck before Nudge could whip out her wings, groaning. Lynn was slammed unto the mast, and then thrown across the deck, skidding before coming to a stop, only to be pinned by others, a knife to her throat.

_This was done on purpose, _Lynn thought,_ they were just toying with us, letting us use all of our resources and energy before hitting us with their true power. It was all part of their plan._

I ran towards Dylan and Fang, who were beginning to stir on the deck. But before I could even begin to get close, an Omega sprung out, and I tripped over them. Several strong feet held me to the deck, and I felt the cold metal of a dagger on the back of my neck.

It was utterly hopeless. Just like the attack that toppled the demigods. They knew our weaknesses. They knew where we were, and they knew how to stop us. They were truly undefeatable.

"Hey, put me down!" Gazzy cried from above, and I was just able to peek up ever so slightly. Both Iggy and Gazzy were being carried out by Omegas, suspended in the air.

We were doomed.

"Eliminate the mistakes." They chanted.

I squirmed, but it was futile. This is where I was going to die.

Just when all seemed lost, everything went silent. The pressure of the knife on the back of my neck lessened until I could no longer feel it. I cautiously got up, half expecting to be stopped or slammed on the deck again, but all the Omegas were standing perfectly still. It was as if they were stuck in time, frozen in mid-air. Their head was cocked slightly, and their eyes were all glowing red. Even the ones bobbing in the ocean had stopped, and we're staring into the distance, focusing on nothing.

_What in the world?_

Lynn got up, stretching, watching the Omegas. She seemed perplexed, looking at them.

She waved her hand in front of one Omega's placid face, and it, of course, didn't respond, then she turned around, facing us, "Is everyone okay?"

"The Gasman and I are okay. Few bruises but were fine." Iggy said, freed from the Omega's grip.

Dylan and Fang groaned back into consciousness, "I think we're okay. Just dizzy."

"Us to," Frank moaned, helping Nudge up.

"I'm alive!" I chanted, "But they got me in the wing."

"I think my wing's dislocated," Max spoke up finally, leaning up against the mast, her paling face trying to hide the pain, "The real question is, are _you _okay?"

That's when I first noticed it, the cut that expanded over Lynn's forehead, oozing red. Blood crawling over her face, rolling down her nose in little red droplets.

"What? Oh, wait," she felt up, fingering the wound, blood dotting her fingers, "yep, that's a cut. That's going to leave a scar."

"How can you not feel that?" Dylan asked, incredulously.

"Omegas tend to be tolerant to pain. I usually don't notice a cut until I'm bleeding everywhere or blinking out blood. So, thanks for the heads-up." Lynn answered simply, as if that was just a normal, everyday occurrence.

"Lynn, what are they doing?" Nudge asked, walking right in front of an Omega, snapping her fingers under its nose. Nothing happened.

Lynn squinted, staring at the frozen flash mob that had once been attacking us, "I think… I think they are receiving new orders. New directions are streaming directly into their head. I just don't know what."

"Wait, if you're an Omega, why aren't you also getting the new directions?" Fang asked, staring at her skeptically.

"Because they probably sent the message to all active Omegas. And as far as the New School's concerned, I'm dead, remember?"

Fang half-nodded, looking away. He still didn't trust her completely, which was typical Fang.

"When are they going to go unfrozen? Because they are kinda creepy, if you know what I mean." Max retorted, still slumped on the mast.

"I don't know everything, but once they get the new directions, they should snap back to life. Just be ready, cause when they do…"

As if on cue, each Omegas head snapped back in unison, causing me to jump. Adrenaline flowed through my veins, and I took a battle stance. Everyone else went rigid, watching, preparing to be thrown into battle again.

"New message received. Retreat immediately." They spoke as one before taking to the skies, leaving us dumbfounded, watching as they all disappeared one Omega at a time.

"What the hell?!" Lynn cursed, watching the Omegas fade into tiny black dots, "This doesn't make any sense! Why would they order the Omegas to assault the Argo II, only to retreat when they were so close to victory? It just doesn't add up…"

"Are you complaining? We just won!" Dylan interjected.

"But that's not how Omegas work! I should know! I am one! They would never give up a win, and the scientist never hesitated. So why, especially now, did they show mercy? Something's fishy about this..."

"Well, we are near the ocean…" Max said sarcastically.

Lynn paced across the deck. _I wonder why they did that? Could it be?…no. How about?…no. Maybe it could have been?… That just seems unlikely…_ Lynn argued with herself, searching for a possibility.

"Maybe they were needed else where?" Frank offered.

"Yeah…Maybe…" Lynn mulled, albeit it was unconvincing.

"Look," Fang said, helping Max up, " I say we just go inside, and patch ourselves up. We can't stand out here all day waiting for an enemy that might not come back. Besides, even if they did come back, which I now doubt, we wouldn't stand a chance in this condition or _any_ condition for that matter."

That argument seemed to persuade everyone, and Fang was rewarded with nods. The only person that seemed hesitant was Lynn, who was biting her lip in uncertainty.

"Well, I suppose," Lynn began.

"C'mon Lynn, we can patch up your forehead before you lose too much blood." Frank joked, and he began to lead her off the deck and back into the Argo II.

We all began to file inside, and then something happened.

With an ear-splitting explosion, a blast of combustion erupted from the side of the Argo II. The deck shook uncontrollably, rattling underneath my feet, making it impossible to stand. My ears rang, filling my cranium with static. I watched as a thick black smoke poured from the ship's open wound. Miscellaneous, charred pieces fell from the sky, and I scarcely had a second to throw my hands over my head. Everyone else did the same.

_They put bombs on the Argo II! No wonder they were in such a hurry to leave…_, Lynn thought, panicked.

Two smaller explosions rocked the ship again, and the smoke and debris became near unbearable. I backed up, unable to hear a thing, into the side of the deck. My companion's thoughts of horror and pain filled my head, and I could do nothing.

I shakily stood, rising, leaning over the rails.

It was my biggest mistake.

A hand shot over my mouth, making it impossible to scream. Even if I could, no one would be able to hear me. I struggled under its grip, but it was in vain. More Omegas appeared out of the ocean, grabbing me, unnoticed as my friends tried to recover.

_MAX! Help me! _I thought desperately, staring holes into her.

Max turned around to face me, but it was too late. Just as her brown eyes locked with mine, I was already being pulled over the edge, into the ocean.

As I was being pulled deeper and deeper underwater, my last thoughts were clear-

_I'm going to the New School, and that's where I'll die. There is no escaping. This is the end._

And then I blacked out.

**I can't seemed to write a chapter without a cliff hanger... I should probably work on that.**

**R&R and no flames unless your Leo! ( I've been waiting to type that up** **_all _week!)**

**-medusa's pen**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter, (which is a day early because I am sick and have nothing else to do) is dedicated to **_**wizardscanbedemigods**_**. Or, at least, the first POV is. I can't say no to puppy eyes.**

**So it's a day early! Hurray! :)**

**Hope you like it! Please, please, please review! You can even ask a question. Nine times out of ten, I'll answer it, as long as it's within reason.**

**TENTH CHAPTER! YEHAW!**

**Enjoy.**

NICO

"So wait, Leo is now part bird?!" I exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"Yes, and you will be too. Sooner than I thought you guys would be." Amelia replied, sounding beyond defeated.

When Amelia returned, (With water thank the gods) she told us everything about the blood transfer surgery and about Leo, who was now in recovery. It sounded almost horrific. Scratch that, it _was_ horrific. I couldn't imagine being operated on while awake, much less getting your blood replaced with avian DNA. And what seemed almost worse about it is that we were next.

"Is Leo okay?" Hazel asked, worry seeping in her voice.

Amelia inhaled, her voice coming out in shakes as she said, "Yes. He's okay now. I thought he was gone but…," She paused, "Yeah, he's alright now. He's still in recovery, and when I left him, he was sleeping."

"And this surgery is going to happen to us too?" Piper inquired, her voice etched with half-hidden fear.

Amelia sighed, "Yes. There is nothing I can do. I'm so sorry."

That sucked, and that was putting it lightly. Ever since we arrived into this freakish prison, the laws of demigod science have gone out the window. I can't summon the dead, Percy can't control water, Piper can't charm speak, Jason can't control the wind. Leo's fire powers went dead after he got his samples taken, and now he was strapped to some table half-dead. But of course I couldn't tell because my death radar was also out of commission.

What a sad way to go. Defeat a Titan, then an earth goddess, only to be killed by evil scientists. Death by nerds. Whoopee.

"Isn't there _anyway _to open this stupid thing? The scientists open them all the time! Where do they keep the key for this ugly crate?" I shouted, annoyed as I pounded out the door.

"I've been looking for the key even before you guys came here. I don't think it's actually a physical key. I think it's more like an object that sets off the little sensors inside the cage. I have no idea what it is, or where it is. If I had found it, you'd be free already." Amelia replied.

I sighed. There was no point in arguing this. It is what it, although it sucks. A lot.

"Couldn't we just escape while they're testing on us? When we were running the mazes, we could have busted out." Annabeth offered.

"You guys don't do test like that together. In fact, the scientist have you guys do them at different times for that reason. You could get out, if the Omegas don't get you first, but you would have to leave the others behind. And, knowing how loyal you are to each other, you guys would never agree to that," Amelia said. "The scientists have planned this experiment for a long time. They have put way more thought into this than anybody thought they did. It's insane actually. It's almost like they didn't have any lives for the past twenty years."

I groaned, "Why us? Why take that time planning this experiment for two decades for seven people?"

"Do you know how dangerous this experiment is? Technically, it's almost impossible. And ever since they became allies with the immortals that supported Kronos, which was _years_ before he rose, they have had accesses to the demigod world. They needed someone strong for the task, and they found you guys, the most powerful demigods in centuries."

"But I'm not part of the seven. Why did they grab me?"

"I have no idea. I thought they were going to take Frank, but I don't know why they neglected in grabbing him. It's almost like they forgot he was there or something."

Silence.

"How long until they take us to do the experiment?" Annabeth inquired.

A red glow filled the room, emitting from Amelia's eyes as she checked her databases, "You guys have about one hour."

Leo was a bird. Now, in just one pathetic hour, I was going to be a bird, and so was everyone I cared about.

"Are we going to be all right? Like you said, Leo almost died. Are we going to end up the same way?" Piper questioned, nearly inaudible.

"I snuck some injections out of Leo's room. It should knock you out and keep you stable. The less strain on your heart the better. I won't give it to you until the last second though, because it's some really strong stuff." Amelia answered.

"Wait. If Leo's already had the surgery and we're next, that means were getting closer to getting wings, right?" Percy started.

"Yes, that's correct." Amelia said quizzically.

"Nico, Hazel, and I won't be able to fly. We would get blasted out of the sky!"

"He's got a point. Captain Control Freak, better known as Zeus/Jupiter, would enjoy using us as targets if we wandered into his domain. No offence Jason."

"Nico, " Annabeth growled. "It's not too smart to speak of the Lord of the Skies in such a way."

"But he's right though. My father isn't much of a … forgiving person." Jason interjected.

"Honestly, Zeus or Jupiter should be the least of your worries. If he killed any of you, it would cause major uproar. Most of you have saved Olympus not once, _but _twice. Besides, if he wanted to kill any of you, he would have done it already."

"Thanks for making us feel all warm and fuzzy Amelia." I grumbled.

"You're so welcome."

Amelia exhaled, "I should probably just give you the injection now, on second thought. That way, it allows the medicine to kick in."

"That would be wise." Annabeth agreed.

Suddenly, the door began to click, as if someone was trying to open it. Amelia's shuffling stopped, and she cursed in Ancient Greek.

"I thought you said they were coming to get us for the surgery in an hour." Hazel protested.

"They were. I wasn't lying." Amelia whispered.

"Then what are they doing?" Annabeth hissed.

"I don't know. This isn't planned…"

I suddenly remembered what Leo had told us about Amelia when he first met her: _Amelia's what they call a mistake. She wasn't supposed to be born with emotion. If she's caught, they'll kill her._

"Amelia, you need to hide! If they see you…" I started.

But the door swung open.

* * *

FANG

It was useless. Angel was gone.

We had looked for hours. Lynn, Frank and I dove into the water multiple times, looking for Angel and her captives, but it was all in vain. The Omegas that kidnapped her didn't leave so much as a trail.

I sat on the deck, next to Max, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Dylan, and Frank as Lynn looked at the damage the Argo II took when it was bombed. No one said a word.

I wasn't one for words, but I felt like I had a million to say. How could we stay on the Argo II and be safe, especially after that little display? I knew that Max would want to continue the journey with Frank and Lynn, but that would put the rest of the flock in danger. We had already lost one; we didn't need to lose another. We weren't new to danger, so we were perfectly capable of completing this mission on our own. We could find Angel without the help of Frank or Lynn.

Lynn. I didn't quite trust her the same way Max did. I was still skeptical. In fact, I was convinced she was up to something. Yeah, sure, she was raised at the School, or the New School, but that didn't mean she wasn't a spy. How else did the other Omegas know where we were? Lynn said it was a chip, but that could very well be a lie. So what if Angel said she was safe. She could be wrong, right?

Lynn came out from the engine room, coughing madly as her lungs tried to cope with the thick black smoke that was pouring out of the room.

"Okay," she croaked. "The damage isn't as bad as it seems. Leo made this thing very strong, so it's nearly impossible to blow it up, especially with mortal weapons. It is repairable, and with the right tools, the Argo II should be up and running in about… two weeks."

"Two weeks! We don't _have _two weeks." Frank exclaimed.

"And I said that we'd need the right tools to do it too, and we don't even have that with us." Lynn sighed, collapsing next to us.

"But Angel, and my friends… How are we supposed to rescue them now? Without the firepower of the Argo II, we can't bust into a highly secure laboratory crawling with defenses, even if we were able to get there by foot anyway." Frank whimpered.

"I don't know." Lynn shook her head, lost in thought.

"How were the Omegas able to get Angel so fast?" Gazzy sobbed, "Wouldn't they need air?"

"They were probably Percy's Omegas."

"Come again?" Max questioned.

"Frank told you guys about the power each of the demigods have, correct? Since Omegas were specially designed to take on one demigod in particular, each group has one or two special abilities that all the other Omegas don't have. I was meant to oppose Leo, so I am immune to heat and fire. Piper's Omegas can ignore her charm speak. Jason's Omegas able to absorb high amounts of electricity and can hold their ground during windstorms. Hazel's Omegas wouldn't be effective even if she shot several tons of precious metals at them. Annabeth's Omegas are especially smart so that they detect Annabeth's tricks before hand. Nico's can take down the dead with one blow, and Percy's Omegas amazing swimmers and can hold their breath for hours on end." Lynn said.

"That makes sense. But why?" Iggy inquired.

"The ways of the scientists are beyond me." Lynn offered.

"Are you sure? Can't you just look into your databases and see what's up?" I demanded.

Lynn turned towards me, "That's not how they work. You say that like the scientists have a blog I can just tap into. They aren't going to disclose everything on the Internet."

I scowled inwardly. Lynn looked apologetic, shooting me a look of sympathy.

"Don't worry Fang, we'll find out a way to save Angel. We've done it more then once, so we can do it again." Max encouraged.

"How were they able to find us anyway?" I further interrogated Lynn.

"I told you, we were chipped. I even showed it to you before I threw it into the ocean just a moment ago."

"Are you sure you aren't just giving the New School information on how to find us? Because it seems _way _more likely then some stupid chip." I growled.

Lynn looked hurt, "Do you think I'm a spy?! I would never…"

"Are you sure of that? Ever since we've landed here and met you, our whole world has been turned upside down! It's been perfectly peaceful for once in our lives, but now Angel is in trouble! It won't be long before we're all in cages!"

"Fang," Max commanded. "It's not her fault. She's trying to help us."

"Yeah," Frank agreed, "She's the only one who could guide us to the New School."

"But haven't any of you considered that this might be a trap!" I shouted, anger sinking in me. I had never felt so much rage in all my life.

"You think you guys are the only ones that need to get to the New School to rescue someone! My _sister_ is over there, probably risking her life to help protect the demigods! If she's caught, they'll kill her! So don't you even _dare_ accuse me of being a spy!" Lynn shouted.

"Fang, I know you're upset, but that doesn't mean you can get all over Lynn for nothing. She isn't lying! Angel said that…" Max argued.

"Angel is gone, Max. And we can save her on our own," I directed my attention to her. "We don't need them to help us."

"Are you recommending that we leave them? We can't just do that! For the millionth time, Lynn is the only one who knows where the New School is."

"We can find it! It's in the Himalayas!" I countered.

"Fang, I'm really sorry they took Angel. But it didn't have to do with me. I would never do anything like that," Lynn breathed, "We have to stick together. This is just what the New School wants to happen. If we're separated, we won't be as strong. We wouldn't be able to…"

"No, you're wrong, " I interrupted, "I was raised at the school! I know what it's like! I can handle it just fine, and if you guys won't come with me," I looked towards the flock, "I'll go by myself."

Max looked angered, but she didn't say anything. Then Iggy said, "Fnick, Lynn's got a point."

I ignored him, "Max, come with me. We can save Angel together. I know we can." I said, softly.

Max's expression melted a bit, "Fang, I know you're hurt. We all are. But we can't just part with Frank and Lynn. We can trust her Fang. You are the only one who still has doubts. I understand that you just want to keep us safe, but ditching the group would only make matters worse. Just think about Angel. Please."

I was seething with blinding anger as I said, "I _am_ thinking about Angel."

Then I sprung up in the air and flew away, leaving them behind me.

**Oh Fang. Lynn's not evil. Trust me, she's not**

**Did you like this chapter? I know that Fang was a bit mistrusting in this chapter, but it had to be done. It will lead to greater things, I promise.**

**The plot is starting to fall together. Mwhahaha!**

**R&R!**

**NO TROLLZ! Unless you were just naturally born with bright purple hair that sticks straight up… stupid joke I know, I know.**

**-medusa's pen**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, as I walked into the kitchen this morning and looked at the date, I nearly screamed. Wednesday already?! That can't be! I hadn't been writing much lately, so I had to petal to the metal. It was almost a day late! YIKES!**

**Alright, I orginally posted this chapter yesterday, but I had to edit it more because at second glance I reliezed what a hack job it was. It was almost like I corrected it by running it over. **

**This chapter is dedicated to owlcity2013! Happy B-day!**

**Excuse the grammar. You know the drill.**

LYNN

I held the wrench between my teeth, the metallic taste filling my mouth. Standing inside the Argo II, I was busily working, trying to manipulate the wires and machinery back to life. After nonchalantly breaking into Leo's room, I was able to find a few miscellaneous tools that happened to be lying around. It was near impossible though, since Leo carried everything in his magical tool belt, but I was able to find a wrench, a single screwdriver, and the hammer that he had used to knock me out.

It hadn't enough.

It was like trying to solve one hundred pieced jigsaw puzzles with only three pieces. The Argo II was about a million times more complicated than my databases let me in on, and it was even more frustrating in the sense that I had limited access to tools and resources. We were in the middle of the ocean. And, in honesty, I didn't know that many Wal-Mart's that were just floating around near by.

I looked into my databases, and then jabbed at a dented slab of metal to give me better access to the circuits. I pounded the celestial bronze back into place, even though it was half melted. I had done this process for hours. Pound. Fix. Groan when I couldn't fix it completely. Repeat. You couldn't even believe how tedious that was to correct. Not to mention the gigantic opening that was in place on one side of the ship. I didn't even know where to _begin _with that little situation. I hadn't even had time to suspend a tarp over it, so it let in a lovely draft.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

My hammer pounded into the metal, and I pounded out my frustrations with it.

Fang, how dare he! He just accused me of being evil then decided to fly solo. It wasn't about Angel at all! It had just been him and his stupid stereotypes. On the day I was sent to get Leo, I could've gone on my own. I could have ignored them, and went to go save Amelia on my own. My sister and I could have lived without trouble, without getting ourselves into that mess. But no! I decided to help them. And we're out here, _risking our freaking lives, _and Fang had the nerve to even question me.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Then there was the Argo II. The New School just loved to put dents in my plans. I couldn't fly in any way, shape, or form, and I couldn't just give them the coordinates and send them on their way. No. They were insanely strong, but the New School was prepared for this sort of situation. If something happened to them during the rescue… I couldn't live with myself.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Amelia. I wondered what she was doing. The only time I had an update on her situation was when I had my little dream, and trust me when I say that it wasn't the best way to check up on your sis. She was in the most danger now, almost as if she stood directly over the epicenter of this whole mess. One wrong step and she's dead. I wish I could talk to her. I missed my sister. After all, she was the only family I had.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

I pound in the last dents, and then replaced my hammer with the screwdriver. It was the smallest tool I had, so ultimately, it was going to be the one the tinkered with the circuits with. I reached into my head for information before beginning, but it was in vain. I pressed the tip the wrong way, and the mechanics spit sparks in my face.

Angered and completely fed-up, I threw my screwdriver out the gap in the Argo II, watching as it splashed in the ocean. I was most likely going to regret that outburst, but at the moment I didn't care. I kicked the side of the ship before collapsing, "Stupid ship, WORK ALREADY!"

I gritted my teeth, lost in concentration. I looked out the side of the Argo II, facing the sunset. It was actually really pretty, minus that it signaled the end of another day. A whole twenty-four hours and we had made zero progress. At this rate, we were never going to reach the new school.

Suddenly, I heard distant splashing. It was soft, yet urgent, as if someone was trying to swim with a broken arm. I looked out into the ocean, staring at a figure that was bobbing in the waves. All it took was one look, and I knew who it was.

It was an Omega. In particular, it was the one that Max had managed to paralyze. It must have fallen into the water and hadn't gotten the memo that the fleet had already been withdrawn. It looked like it was drowning.

I knew I should have just left him at the mercy of the ocean, but I couldn't. Even if he had tried to murder my friends, I just couldn't let him drown. He didn't have a choice, nor did he register what he was doing. All Omegas were basically slaves to the New School. Besides, I had a heart for Omegas, secretly. I was one, for starters.

But, I had bigger means then just being nice. I needed answers and I knew that with the right words I could get the information I needed.

I dove out the hole in the side of the ship, and fell several feet before splashing in the water. Once underwater, I let my instincts take control. I glided through the water, swimming under the victim before hooking up, pulling him up for air under the arms. He coughed up salt water, and I began to drag it up towards the ship. Of course, I forgot the little detail about the nearest opening to the Argo II being a few feet above my head, so there was nowhere were I could bring him.

See? This is what I get for being nice.

Despite its weak state, it wrestled in my grip, trying to break free.

"Stop it," I demanded. "You're going to drown us both!"

"I have failed…" He gurgled.

"Yeah, whatever." I retorted.

He struggled even more, the water splashing in our faces.

"Sorry dude," I said. "This is going to sting a bit."

I whacked him in the side of the head, directly in his weak spot. He went rigid in my arms, but then went limp.

Now, all I needed was a way onto the ship…

MAX

I was waiting for Fang. I kept saying to myself that he would be back. That he was just mad, and that he just went flying for a bit to blow out steam, like I do when I'm mad.

_He'll be back. _I repeated the thought, over and over again. But as the sun sank over the horizon, I lost hope.

His little outburst was just so…unpredictable. It was almost as if he was a different person. Fang was usually a go with the flow guy. And I knew he cared about Angel, we all do, but Fang has never been in that much of a hurry to go rescue her. It sounds heartless and evil, but it's truth.

Of course, there was that one occasion where the flock split because Fang didn't trust Ari, so was it really that different? And, it's not like he's a stranger to leaving the flock. Might I remind myself of the notorious group called Fang's Gang?

But, it left me with an uneasy feeling that refused to go away. It was sickening, really. It was almost like an emotional cocktail: Rage, disbelief, and, yes, sadness. Utter sadness.

Pathetic, right?

I slouched over the railings, focusing in the waves. Always rolling, always moving towards the shore. They rushed by with the wind, without a care in the world.

If only it was that easy.

"MAX!"

I turned downwards towards the noise. To say I was surprised that Lynn was bobbing in the waves would have been an understatement. Not to mention the half-dead Omega that she was carrying in her arms.

"What in the world-" I began.

"Please don't question! Can you just get me back on deck?" Lynn yelled.

Five minutes later, one soaking wet Lynn and the rest of the passengers on the Argo II were lined in the control room, staring at the Omega that was tripled tied to the chair.

"This must be familiar to you Lynn." I joked, which only resulted in a murderous glare.

"So," Frank started. "Tell me again why we have a murderous cyborg on the ship?"

"Hey," Lynn argued. "Let's not forget that I am technically of the same species as those _murderous cyborgs_. Second, we need answers. If we ask him the right questions, we'll get some information."

She paused.

"Besides, I couldn't just let it die. It's not right. Especially with its broken leg."

I was about to say something philosophical, but the head of the Omega snapped back, his red eyes staring in your soul…almost literally.

We instinctively took a waning step back.

Lynn stepped towards it, "Who commands you?"

He looked at her, "I have failed."

"Yeah, we get that," Lynn said, annoyed. Then, she furrowed her brow in concentration, before her eyes lit up, "How about, protocol 11-A?"

The Omega stopped wiggling, and then looked forward.

"What did you just ask it?" Gazzy questioned.

"I basically just asked it the same thing, only in Omega language. The protocols are top secrete codes so that the enemy can't get any information out of them if they were supposedly caught. Like now, for example. Only, they didn't quite expect this." Lynn answered.

"Doctor Susana A. Hoarfrost." The Omega replied, monotone.

"What?!" Lynn exclaimed. "That's not possible! Only Jeb gives the official commands! Why in the world would Doctor Hoarfrost command an attack on the Argo II?"

"Who's Doctor Hoarfrost?" Frank asked.

"She's the head doctor. She's almost like an evil grandmother, only worse. She's usually quiet and just keeps to her own business. In fact, she's most likely the one who is working with the demigods. So this doesn't make any sense."

"Okay," I began. "You should ask him his motives. Someone just doesn't command an assault because they think it's fun, right?"

"Well, knowing Doctor Hoarfrost… never mind that. I'll ask it why," Lynn stated, "Okay, how about protocol 77-k12?"

The Omega began, monotone and stone faced, "The termination of the enemies and the successful capture of a single flock member. The request that Omega number 113 was kept alive was also put into effect."

Lynn's jaw dropped, "What do you mean by "keep Omega 113 alive?" I'm a mistake, remember?"

"Invalid protocol." He said, then he began to wreslet with the chair again.

"Whatever," Lynn grumbled, lost in thought.

"No offense," Iggy said. "But why would the New School want you alive?"

"I seriously do not know. I've never have had this happen before. Once the New School figures out that you were a mistake- you're toast. It's happen before…" Her gold eyes went dark. "They must have passed on the information about me being alive when they were receiving their new information on the deck. Certain Omegas are rigged with a camera, so they know I'm helping you guys. But wanting me alive? I don't get it. It defies the laws of Omegas."

She bit he lip, then began to pace around.

"Look," I said, "I know this is important and all, but we still have a problem. How the heck are we suppose to find Angel and the rest of the demigods? We have no weapons, and it's not like Lynn can fly. We can't leave her behind."

Nods rippled through the crowd.

"Maybe we could carry Lynn?" Nudge offered.

Lynn laughed, "No, I don't think that's really a smart idea. I may be less then a hundred pounds, but it would just slow you down. Not to mention that it would just be weird."

"What about the boots?" Gazzy spoke quietly.

"What do you mean "the boots?" Nudge asked.

"The anti-gravity boots. We have an Omega right here. With them, Lynn would be able to fly." Gazzy explained simply.

A smile broke out over Lynn's face, "Gazzy, you're a genius!"

It was easier said then done. Have you ever tried to take the boots off a kicking and screaming Omega? I didn't think so. It was one of those practices that would have a warning attach to it like _kids, don't try this at home. _But, we managed to get the boots from him with only a fair amount of screaming and bloodshed.

Lynn slipped on the boots, shuffling her feet around.

"Well?" I inquired.

"I don't feel any different. In fact, I don't think I even know how to turn these things on." Lynn answered, jumping into the air a few times, trying to catch the air.

"Maybe you should try shouting, "activate!" at the top of your lungs." Dylan suggested, a sarcastic smile playing across his lips.

"What? Do you actually think shouting "activate" is really going to-"

Suddenly, as if she was standing on top of an air bubble, she shot a few feet in the air.

"Are you freaking _kidding _me?! Way to be original…" Lynn hissed, while Dylan laughed.

"Can you steer though?" I continued.

Lynn closed her eyes, and concentrated. With a burst of speed, she lifted into the air, and then did figure eights in the air before touching down.

"Whoa! You control these things with your _mind! _This must be just specifically made for Omegas, you know, because of the half robotic brain thing. But man, what a rush!" Lynn said.

"So what are waiting for? Let's leave! We have a lot of ground to cover up, so let's get a head start." Dylan argued.

"At night?" Iggy said.

"Why not. It's not like you can see or anything." Nudge remarked, and Iggy shrugged in agreement.

_We're going to make it after all! And we're bound to see Fang on the mission. We can save the demigods and rescue Angel. And the flock will be back together. Maybe, there will even be new members of our little flock._

"You can fly, right Max? I know you dislocated your wing…" Lynn said.

"No, I'm good. I was able to pop it back in," I cringed at the recent memory.

"Wait," Nudge interrupted. "What about the Argo II?"

"Don't worry about it. During the war with Gaea… we made connections. It'll be taken care of." Frank reassured vaguely.

I nodded. No need to go into depth, "Up and out?"

Smiles spread across everyone's faces. Frank transformed into a giant eagle, his beady eyes filled with excitement.

"Up and out."

And we shot into the air.

JEB

"You can't just command the Omegas like that. What you did was reckless and wasteful. We lost too many Omegas due to your outrageous actions!"

Doctor Hoarfrost puckered her lips sourly, more bitter than offended by my words, "The enemy advances, yet you do nothing about it. If they come here, they'll ruin our plans.

I scoffed, "Please. They won't even make it to the mountains."

"Is that so?" Dr. H said, "It would be a lie to say that I don't have any doubts."

"Remember your place," I growled. I sat down in my chair, glaring at her from across my desk. "You nearly killed Omega 113."

" I knew you cared about this certain Omega. I demanded that she was kept alive. But, what is so special about this Omega? We have all seen the footage. She's a mistake."

"Don't play stupid with me woman. I know you have a habit for sneaking around in the file room. If we lose her, the operation crumbles."

"What about the Omega 113.5? Couldn't she still be used? They are of the same DNA."

"Yes. But they were born twins for a reason."

"When the time comes, will they cooperate? We aren't positive that Omega 113.5 is a mistake, but 113 defiantly is one. How will you handle that?"

"We have our ways!" I barked. "Now leave my office. I believe you have a surgery to attend to."

Dr. H shook her head, "You're playing a dangerous game Jeb. One wrong move, and this whole thing could blow in your face."

"I thank you for your impute, but I could do without." I spat.

But she just laughed as she left the room, closing the doors behind her.

**R&R! **

**-medusa's pen**


	12. Chapter 12

**I am so sorry that this chapter is a day late. The universe was against me and I wasn't able to update. **

**Alright, this chapter is a bit slow, in my opinion, but I felt that it was needed. Besides, we can't have twenty-four hour action, or else you'd get sick of it. **

**Okay, well, read on!**

**Excuse the mistakez. **

ANGEL

When I managed to open my eyes, I found myself staring at the figure of an Omega.

"Lynn?" I questioned.

"Nope," the figure said. "I'm Amelia. Lynn is my twin. Speaking of which, how in the world do you know Lynn anyway?"

My head rolled to the side, and a groan slipped from my mouth. The figure looked apologetic, "Sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you."

"Where am I?" I asked, dreading the answer that I already knew.

She sighed, "This is the New School. I'm sure you're familiar with the last School, so I don't think I have to explain."

I sat up, narrowly avoiding the ceiling of the cage. My head was aching, and I reeked of the ocean. My blonde hair was matted to my skin, spreading over my face. I coughed, but my throat was too dry to make any real noise. My limbs ached, and I my skin was already transforming an unforgiving purple where the Omegas had grabbed me before dragging me into the ocean.

"Here," Amelia offered, sliding in a bottle of water into my cage. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

"Thanks," I mumbled, hardly audible.

I chugged it mercilessly. Strand of water rolled down my chin and into my shirt, soaking into the fabric, but I didn't care. It was heavenly; a waterfall of crystal-clear water on my dry throat and cracked lips.

"Better?" Amelia asked sympathetically.

The empty water bottle fell to the ground with a hollow clatter, "Yeah, thank you."

"No problem. It's the least I can do. In fact, it's about the only thing I can do," Amelia sighed.

I looked around the room. It was decently small, with seven golden crates piled in a semicircle on the floor. Six of them were empty, their doors ajar. The only closed one, crate number four, was still and quiet.

"Is this were the demigods are kept?" I guessed.

Amelia blinked her silver eyes. That was the one difference between Amelia and Lynn-eye color.

"How did you know that? My databases confirm that you can read minds, but still…"

"I've met the others. Frank and Lynn I mean. We were coming on the Argo II to save you guys, but then… this." I said.

Amelia gave me her undivided attention, "What?"

I started from the beginning. I told her about meeting Frank the Lion and then Lynn. I told her about how we were coming to the New School on the Argo II when we were attacked and ambushed. I explained getting dragged into the ocean after the ship was bombed, and ended when I got to the part about being pulled underwater, where I blacked out. She listened to every detail, probably memorizing the conversation.

When I finished and paused for reply, Amelia's expression was blank without a hint of emotion. I was about to look into her thoughts to see what she was thinking, when she said, "How are they going to come to the New School without any mode of transportation? This mission is going very wrong, on both sides of the operation. If things don't get back on track soon… I hate to think how many bad ways this could blow up in our faces."

"But, why did they capture me? It doesn't make any sense." I rambled.

"Honestly, I don't know. I originally thought it was for bait-to lure Frank and the flock to the New School. But, as far as I know, Jeb doesn't even want our little rescue party to reach the base of the mountain. And why you and not Fang? According to my information, Fang's DNA contains the secret to immortality. Maybe your main purpose was to deliver the news about Frank and the flock for whatever reason. Or, maybe, it's about your powers…" Amelia calculated, then she shook her head, "I was hoping that I would get a better status report, because I defiantly needed one. They are already prepared to do the second surgery on the demigods right after they recover from the first one, which a majority of them are in currently. If I have any luck, theirs will go better than Leo's." She glanced at closed cage.

"Leo? You mean, he's alive?!" I awed.

Amelia's eyes grew, "Well, of course he's alive. You're reading my mind again, aren't you?"

"No," I admitted. "Lynn had a dream. She didn't want to talk about it, even though I kind of read her mind…"

"Oh," Amelia breathed. "Yes, he's okay now. I think he's still sleeping."

"And the others are in the surgery now?" I confirmed as Amelia nodded.

"The blood transfer surgery is probably the most dangerous of the surgeries. I was able to medicate the others so that they would have less of a chance of… you know," Amelia paused. "Anyway, I wasn't able to do that for Leo because it was unexpected."

"Oh. So, can you get us out?"

She sighed, "I can't. But I'm looking everywhere for the "key." I'm trying though, so don't give up hope just yet."

Amelia looked into her databases, her eyes glowing red, before she growled, "I have to go. If I get caught, then you might as well give up hope now. Sorry I have to leave so soon."

She got up. Giving me a half-smile, she said, "Good-night Angel. It was nice to meet you. I'll be back, I promise. I'll bring you something to eat. You're probably hungry anyway."

I nodded, "Bye."

She walked towards the door, "Oh, and if Leo wakes up, could you tell him the news? You know, minus blowing up the Argo II."

I couldn't help but giggle, "Sure."

And as she left, I felt a bead of hope. Even though it was my last.

MAX

We should have won an award for the weirdest flock in the history of flocks. We had five Avian Americans who were raised in a psychopathic, top secrete facility, one gigantic golden eagle who was actually a demigod, and an Omega who was actually a mistake using a thing called anti-gravity boots.

Well, at least we hadn't taken the flying dog with us.

"Max," Nudge complained. "We've been flying for hours."

"I know sweetie," I yawned. "We're all tired."

"And hungry," Iggy added.

"Yes Iggy," I mumbled. "Thanks for the helpful impute."

"Any time."

We flew under the stars; any trace of the sun ever existing was gone. We had been up the whole night, and what a night it had been. Looking for Angel, losing Fang, trying not to cry over it, and then finding a solution and then flying for a few straight hours-It was almost hard to believe that all this happened in a time window of about twenty-four hours.

I pinched myself in the arm to keep myself from drifting off. Iggy was right about being hungry. I was beginning to believe that my stomach was going to eat itself soon, but we had to keep going. Angel needed us, and I was sure that once we arrived in Europe, we'd see Fang again.

But, we had to get there first. And I'm not sure that all of us were going to be awake when we arrived.

Just when I was about to give up hope that we'd ever see land again, Lynn shouted, "Look! There it is! Sweet land!"

Everyone (minus Iggy) looked towards the horizon. Sure enough, a tiny slate of land was appearing before us.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" Gazzy chanted, before taking off.

"There is no way that I'm flying any faster than this," Nudge announced, but she too picked up speed.

I glanced out towards the others, "Wanna race to the shore?"

Dylan, Lynn, and Frank the Eagle glanced at each other, "Not really. We're kind of tired."

I shrugged, dismissing the idea. I continued flying, when all of a sudden, three blurs passed me a full speed, racing towards the rock edge.

Those little liars.

I inhaled deeply, gaining my energy. I opened my wings as if to do another stroke, but instead, I felt a burst of energy. The colors around me rushed, and I felt the sensation of weightlessness. I zipped past them all, laughing at their bewildered expressions that I had barely managed to catch as I whizzed by. Almost instantly, I was hovering over the rocks. I tucked and dove before catching myself at the last second, gracefully landing on the grey stones.

"Not fair!" Gazzy said as he swooped in, the rest of the group behind him.

"Dylan's a rotten egg." Lynn humored as she deactivated her boots.

Dylan rolled his eyes, "Where are we?"

"By the looks of it," Lynn began, her eyes glowing. "We're in Portugal."

"Alright. And where are the Himalayas?" I asked.

Lynn looked exhausted when she said, "The Himalayas are located in Asia. It's basically the border line between India and China."

Groans rippled through the group.

"Well, we have a long day ahead of us. So pick a rock, and get some shuteye. We'll find something to eat in the morning."

Lynn collapsed, curling into a ball, "Sounds good to me."

Everyone else followed her example, including me. _In the morning, _I thought hopefully, _maybe we'll even be able to find Fang. Then, we'll save the Angel and the demigods together. _

With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. But, instead of being greeted by relief, I was greeted by nightmares.

I had a dream that I was in the New School, standing in an operating room. The horrid stench of chemicals burned my nostrils. The overwhelming bright lights blinded me, and the cold, evil air yet again filled me with instant dread, as if a ghost was breathing over my shoulder. It took every inch of self-control I had to not shake or hyperventilate. It was as if all my fears were shoved back into my face.

When I blinked out the white lights, I was able to make out a figure lying across the table, lifeless. Tubes and wires ran across into them, puncturing his skin. His shirt was torn and bloodied, and his shin was a chalky white, like frozen snow. He was a boy around the age of sixteen, with messy black hair.

The image shifted, and I was forced to watch the scenario over and over, just with different people. I saw a girl with blond hair, a girl with curly, cinnamon colored hair, and a boy with dark, frazzled hair and dark skin. I saw a beautiful girl with chocolate hued hair, and a boy with blond hair, all in the same place.

_Stop! _I willed. _Please make it stop!_

As if my consciousness was following my command, the scene faded away, bringing me to another room. Instead of operation rooms, I saw a dark chamber with eight golden cages messily scattered across the unforgiving concrete floor. Only two of them were occupied, their metal doors locked shut. Goosebumps crawled slowly up my arms at the thought of being cramped in one of those claustrophobic cubes. But, what frightened me more than claustrophobia was the figure inside the cage.

Angel.

She looked straight at me, her blue eyes staring into me when she said in a dull whisper, "Max."

I woke up with a scream lodge halfway through my throat and Gazzy shaking my shoulders.

"Max! Get up! Hurry!" He urged.

"What is it?" I demanded, my heart still racing.

"Lynn," he said breathlessly. "She's in trouble."

**I promise lots of action in the next chapter peeps! And hopefully, it'll be on time!**

**-medusa's pen**


	13. Chapter 13

**I know everyone wants me to write a Percy POV, but I haven't been able to find a spot where he could fit, so sorry. I'll try to get him in next chapter.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

**The mistakes aren't my fault. The keyboard just hates me. A lot, as you've probably noticed. **

**All right, I'm done ranting now. **

LYNN

I was standing in front of a metallic door at the New School, guarded only by a single passcode. It was located in a desolated hallway, the florescent bulbs overhead providing a weak and flickering light. Even in my dream state, it was obvious that the room had been untouched for a long time. Above the large, thick door was a dusty, bronze plate. Etched crudely into the metal in full caps were the words:

ARCHIVES  
AUTHORIZED PERSONAL ONLY

I found myself bugging my eyes without my consent. According to my databases, the Archives was were all the top-secret information was kept on physical paper, and New School legend has it that it holds documented information that wasn't even disclosed to the Omegas, and _that _is an impressive feat. All my life, I've wondered what secrets it held, but I had never even gotten near the room. Amelia claimed that she's walked by the room while guarding the experiments when we were both still working for the New School, but she never even showed a lick of curiosity. In other words she had no stories to tell of it. Besides, it's not like she had been in the room.

But, even if I was dreaming, I felt by heart skip a beat. I didn't know why, but I felt compelled to go inside. It was as if something inside was calling me…

_Clack-clack! _

Two sharp clicks ripped me from my daydreams, and I instinctively turned towards the source of the noise and I came face to face with none other then Doctor Susana Hoarfrost.

She looked smug, which was a classical give away that she had done something that she shouldn't had. Plastered on her face was a cold, red lipstick smile that just reveled the tops of her pearly white dentures. Her long, silver hair was pinned back in a tight bun that was held back with a dark brown butterfly clip. Her latex gloves veiled her long, gnarly hands, and her facemask was dangling off her ears, as if she was prepping or finishing a surgery. Her spotless white coat swished with every click of her high-heeled shoes. Perhaps that it had just been my imagination, but she smelled faintly of blood. Freshly fallen blood.

It took me a second to realize that she couldn't see me, so I didn't have to take cover in the corner, and that I could breathe without getting killed.

She paused in front of the door, unlocking the protective cover that guarded the padlock, flipping it open. She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her white coat pocket, unfolding it gracefully. Peering down at the numbers written messily in ink, she began to enter the code that would unlock the door.

I blinked. My databases confirmed that only Jeb could get into the Archives legally, so what was a sergeant like Dr. H doing trying to get into the files?

She was defiantly up to something.

The door emitted a churning noise, as the tumblers gave into the password. Humming a creepy yet triumphant tune, she peered around quickly, as if looking for anyone that would oppose her. She glance meticulously right and left, scanning.

Then she looked behind her, directly at me. Instead of by passing me like I expected, her eyes faltered, looking directly into mine.

I forgot how to breathe. Was it even possible for her to see me? This was just a dream, right?

Just when I thought I was dead, she gave herself a pleasured chuckle and waltzed into the Archives.

I followed her.

The room was enormous, fitting for the size of the gigantic door that we had just left behind. There were filing cabinets that reached the ceiling, extending down never ending hallways that turned and twisted, creating a labyrinth that was impossible to navigate. Each drawer in the cabinet was bulging slightly with over stuffed manila folders labeled with sharpies. Each of them contained a plethora of information that had never seen the sun of day. Things that only the authorized had been able to witness.

But, in that chaos, who could find anything?

But Doctor Hoarfrost knew exactly where she was going. Without a hint of effort or hesitation, she smoothly traveled through the hallways of file cabinets, short stopping when she reached one of the older looking cabinets, smiling coldly. Running her fingers over each rusty handle, she reached for the drawer near the middle, opening it up. A long line of files neatly tuckered into the drawer appeared. She ran her fingers over the tabs, stopping when she reached two files that were bigger then the others. Written on the tabs were two simple symbols that made my blood run cold.

Ω 113 and Ω 113.5

Doctor Hoarfrost was looking up the files on my sister and I.

"I don't know what kind of game Jeb is playing with these two Omegas, but I'm going to find out if it's the last thing I do," she said, talking to herself.

Just when she was about to remove the colossal rubber band to view my file, a sound echoed through the room, coming from the hallway. Stopping her nosy actions, she tucked the two overstuffed folders under her arm and began to creep towards the hallway.

Reopening the door, she stepped outside the doorway. But instead of being caught as I'd expected, she just cackled and said, "Well, well. Who do we have here, hmm?"

I followed her out the door, and I screamed.

She had just come face to face with Amelia, caught in the act of going to the demigod's room.

I snapped open my eyes, and I was airborne. I was wrapped tightly in an Omega's grip, dangling about a hundred feet above the ground, facing the sea.

I had been kidnapped_ while I had slept! _

"Let go of me!" I demanded, seconds before I smashed my elbow into his ribs, catching him off guard. He dropped me like a hot stone, and left me free-falling.

I dove straight, a millisecond away from activating my boots, when I was tackled in mid fall, diving towards the ocean before being jerked upwards in the air…again.

I quickly took notice of my surroundings, and I grudgingly acknowledged that I was completely enclosed by a hive of Omegas, all staring at me.

That little fight was going to get interesting really fast.

I swung my legs around, nailing the Omega in the stomach. Struggling to keep grip as I wiggled out of its arms, it grabbed the only thing it could, my foot, leaving my dangling headfirst.

But that's exactly what I had planned to do.

"Activate!" I yelled, and then I willed myself to shoot upwards.

I nailed him in the face, and watched as the blood gushed from his nostrils, freeing me. Unfortunately, this ugly fight was just beginning.

I ducked just in time as a knife whizzed by my face, gleaming off the sunlight. This distraction was just enough to throw me off-key, and I was pulled from underneath, and we went spiraling towards the ocean. I countered, but my freedom was only temporarily as I was attacked from behind… with another dagger.

Only this time, I wasn't ready for it. I ducked just in time to save my brain from becoming chopped beef, but I felt a sting as my ear got nicked. Small streams of blood oozed down the side of cheek in a tiny river. I quickly sung at my opponent, connecting my fist directly in the weak point at the side of his head, and he crumpled.

Suddenly, I took a blow to the chest that knocked the wind out of me, and my flight patterned was knocked out of balance. I fell directly into the arms of another Omega, and she pinned my arms until they were painfully immobilized were completely immobilized. I thrashed and twisted, but it only increased the pressure placed on my wrist. Then, with a sickening pop, I felt my bone snap underneath my skin, giving a small yelp.

She had broken my wrist.

"Let me go," I protested. "And fight me like a real Omegas you cowards!"

All I received were emotionless stares.

I sighed. I had hit rock bottom. We were never going to get to the New School, and I'd never know if Amelia's okay or not. For all I know, she could already be dead...

Just when they were going to hit me in the head to knock me out, a war cry split the morning air, and a flash of light brown feathers blurred as Max nailed the Omega directly in the face. I was released just long enough to squirm away from my prison keeper.

"Max, thank-" I began.

"No time! Lets get put of here before they recuperate!" Max demanded.

I doubted that flying away from them would do us any good, but I obeyed. I raced after her, soaring towards the already in flight flock members. Daggers were thrown our direction, but they were lame shots, and they flew far over our heads. Cradling my broken wrist, I flew behind Max. I glance over my shoulder, expecting the Omegas to be right on our tail, and was caught of guard when I found they weren't.

They were simply hovering where we had left them. Some of them were descending away from us, flying in the opposite direction.

"What was that about?" I questioned.

"I don't know, but I'm not sticking around to see!" Max countered.

AMELIA

The sandwiches that I had managed to smuggle for Angel and Leo (If he was awake yet) out of the New School cafeteria fell out of my hands as I tripped in my haste. I landed hard face first, being the Grace I am. The sound echoed through the empty hallway, and I foolishly dismissed the idea that anyone had heard me.

I regained myself, picking up the sandwiches when the Archives door swung open agonizingly slow, and my heart jumped into my throat.

In the back of my mind, I prayed that I would go unnoticed, or that whoever was inside would be to absorbed to have heard me trip, but, of course, that was stuff that only occurred in fantasies.

And it was none other then Doctor Hoarfrost to appear out from the doorway.

"Well, well. Who do we have here, hmm?" Her cold, white smile grew across her face.

I remained emotionless, straining to keep the fear out of my face. You'd think it would be pathetic to be afraid of a little old woman, but when that bloody perfume filled your nose and that creepy smile froze your insides, you'd be running for the hills. And I wouldn't blame you. All the horrible things she's done…

And I was about to be added to the list of "horrible things she's done".

"Please, don't try to hide it. It's too late for acting. I've had my suspicions about you for a long time, and I must say, you almost had me convinced that you were normal. Thank goodness you had a "little fall" or else I would have dismissed the idea." She crooned, her false kindness dripping off her words.

I swallowed.

"So you're the little thief that's been stealing food and drugs for team Alpha? Quite honestly, it doesn't surprise me. I knew that none of the doctors would have the guts to steal, but a rebel Omega wouldn't hesitate. Especially one who was a mistake."

I had forgotten how to breathe.

She took notice of my tight demeanor, "Relax _darling_. I couldn't possibly hurt you. Jeb wouldn't allow it. There is something special about you, something that Jeb has faith in. I would have personally have you terminated by now, along with that pesky sister of yours, but Jeb… he still is convinced that whatever you have is worth saving. You wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?"

I stood absolutely still.

She shook her head and laughed, "Of course you wouldn't! Silly me! No matter, I have all I need in here," she patted the stack of thick folders she had under her arm, and it took me a minute to truly comprehend what they were.

She had gotten ahold of our files.

She turned around on her heels, a few strand of her silver hair falling out her usually perfect bun, "Do continue what you were doing. Don't let me stand in your way of feeding the test subjects. And please, I'll leave you alone as long as you leave me alone. But the moment you get in my way 113.5, it'll be the last thing you do."

Despite the threat that was ringing in my ears, her words and gestures equaled something I never would have guessed- she was letting me go.

"Oh, wait," Dr. Hoarfrost stated. "I don't know much about you _yet_, but I can tell you something truthfully,"

She turned around, looking me dead in the eye when she said, "You weren't born at the New School. Which can only mean one thing," she paused, laughing softly.

"You and your sister weren't born Omegas. In fact, I believe you're more powerful than you could ever imagine."

My jaw dropped, but Doctor Hoarfrost just trotted away like a please little schoolgirl. Leaving me standing alone in the vacant hallway, her impossible words ringing in my head,

_You're more powerful than you could ever imagine._

**So, how did you like it? **

**Just a little tip. I'm going to mention this in the next chapter, but as far as Amelia and Lynn are concerned, you have to be born an Omega to be an Omega. And if you didn't catch it in chapter three, Omegas are generate/born as teenagers automatically.**

**Just to make the cliffhanger more cliffy. (Is that even a real word? Well, it is now!)**

**-medusa's pen**


	14. Chapter 14

**I know it's Friday. And I know my update day is on Wednesday. But, I was spending a few days out in the country were there is no computer to type on and no Wi-Fi to even submit a chapter, so I'm really sorry.**

**But, hey! I did a Percy POV for you guys! (At long last!) And I did a Fang POV! So I hope that makes up for everything.**

**Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so if you see a mistake, please ignore it. I'm getting better, but I'm still not perfect.**

PERCY

Even by demigod standards, spending time at the New School sucked, and you didn't even get a free T-shirt out it.

I have been poisoned, poked, cut opened and operated on, which I was pretty sure wasn't that good for your overall health. Not to mention that times that I'd been squished in that unbreakable prison box, and they didn't even play fair. While I was disarmed and left with nothing to defend myself but my own fists, (I'm a wash out in wrestling…) they had injections and crazy, leather sporting adolescents that could predict your next move. It was almost embarrassing how many times I'd been taken down. I'd rather be in _Tartarus_, and I've _actually _been there already.

And then there was Annabeth. I hadn't been able to protect her or the rest of my friends for that matter. Every time she came back from one of those _"I'm pretty sure that was illegal"_ experiments, it was like taking a knife to the chest; only the knife probably would have hurt less. For some strange reason, I couldn't stand being that far away from her either. Yeah, sure, we were only a foot apart, but I could only hear her voice. I wanted to hold her hand, and smell her hair and all that mushy stuff that I thought were totally irrelevant until this entire weird white coat event decided to work itself into our schedule.

I opened my eyes, squinted at the bright light that blurred above me. My wrists and ankles were restrained with unbreakable bonds, and the air around me was filled with the heavy stench of chemicals. Every nerve in my body ached, and never in my whole life have I felt weaker. The blood was pounding in my ears, and my whole world rang. It was as if my head was a gong in action, shaken up and screaming in pain.

Despite the throbbing, I struggled to raise my head off the platform, in attempt to get a better view of my surroundings, even though it probably wouldn't have done me any good anyway…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You need to rest." A soft voice instructed.

_Amelia._

"Oh, hey," I just managed to croak as I laid my head down, nausea coursing through me.

"How do you feel?" She inquired solemnly somewhere off to my right, but I was already too woozy to lift me head again.

"Like schist," I replied.

"What?!" Amelia gasped, confusion seeping into her words.

"Inside joke," I said simply.

"Oh," Amelia laughed softly. "For a second there I though…never mind."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a drawer being fumbled opened, and the rummaging of plastics.

"How's Annabeth?" I questioned.

"She's fine. If it makes you feel an y better, she's doing better than you are." Amelia answered quietly, her thoughts obviously somewhere else as I heard the drawer shut.

She appeared in my view, her figure blurry- but at least I could tell it was a human. Or Omega. Whatever.

"Here," she toyed with an object that she gripped in her hands. "This should only hurt for a split second."

"What are you-" I protested, but she had already inserted the needle into my wrist.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"That's okay," I replied, the new numbness flowing through me.

She nodded silently, disposing of the empty needle, before chuckling.

"You know, Annabeth asked the same question. You guys are a cute couple."

I felt my cheeks get warm, "Um…"

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, but…it's true," Amelia paused awkwardly, "I have to go now. You should really get some sleep."

"Wait! Are you okay Amelia? You seem kind of off," I questioned.

"So you're half-dead laying on an operating table, and you're concerned about my health? I'm fine. I just kind of ran into someone the other day… But really Percy, I'm all right. You're the one that you should be worried about," she said a little too quickly.

"Hey, wait, who did you…?" I started, but she had already closed the door behind her.

Well then…

I sighed, trying to think of any possible way that we could get out of here. Frank wasn't transported to the New School, but how could he know where we were? _I_ hardly knew where we were. I knew we were in the Himalayas, but from what I can remember from World Geography the Himalayas were _huge. _This basically meant that we had to bust out of here ourselves, and with all the reinforcements that they had at the New School and in our state and condition… it was hard to be optimistic.

Just when I thought it couldn't get worst, I heard her- that creepy old lady.

I gritted my teeth. I hated her more than I hated Hera or Dionysus, which probably broke some sort of record.

She was outside in the hallway, but I could still clearly hear her voice, and from what I could tell, she wasn't alone. Another voice rose against hers, a deeper, more masculine voice. It took me a second to give face to the voice, but then it hit me like a blow to the chest. It was the guy that had been on the Argo II on the day we got attacked- another person that I would enjoy decking.

My "Hate List" was inevitably growing.

"Susana, give me back the files, now." The man said sternly, anger seeming through his tone.

"Oh, but Jeb," Dr. Hoarfrost purred, "I have just begun to dig into them. You can't possible think a busy sergeant as myself could investigate _two _files such as these in one night, did you?"

"If you don't give them back to me this instant, I swear to the Gods that I'll-"

"That you'll do what? Fire me? Sergeants that do this kind of dirty work aren't exactly easy to come by Honey, especially one of my valor."

Jeb laughed, gravel in his tone, "Valor? That is hardly what I'd used to describe you."

"Mmm? Call me what you wish, but I'm sure you didn't come here just to talk smack. If you want to talk about the files, I'd be more than happy. All the dirty secrets buried in here… it looks like the company had been very busy even before I was hired."

"Which was the worst mistake of my career…" Jeb started, but Dr. Hoarfrost refused to be silenced.

"I never would have guess who the twins parents were. Quite an interesting pairing if you ask me…"

_What?! _I thought, _The only pair of twins I know who are associated with the New School are…_

"Doctor," Jeb growled. "I'd rather you not recite what's in the files."

"So their mother was none other than Kathrin Q. Doyenne. I thought I saw some sort of resemblance. That's too bad for them though. I would hate to be the daughter of a good for nothing traitor that backstabbed her own work ," She mused.

"Susana! That is enough! I.."

"But the girls father…now that's when it gets interesting. I mean, I knew we were once good friends with the immortals that wished to overthrow Olympus during the second Titan War, but I didn't know that one of them would agree to _this."_

Before Jeb could even rebuttal, Evil-and-Creepy was already a step ahead, "How are you able to hide their powers? They have the blood of an immortal, a very powerful one at that,"

_Blood of an immortal? Does that mean that Amelia and her sister are…demigods?_

She gasped, responding to Jeb's new quietness, "Oh, I see. You've been poisoning them with the same substance that disables the powers of the demigods. Perhaps you're even overdosing them, hmm? And what about Omega 113? Her dosage is bound to wear off any day, yes?"

Jeb remained silent.

"I can see why you don't want to kill them off right away then. After you went through all the trouble to prepare them. But they are both mistakes you know. The one that's still at the New School, yes, _her,_ I ran into her in the hallway yesterday. She's a _mistake. _I can't wait to sit back and watch this all crumble on top of you Jeb."

_So that's who Amelia ran into yesterday! _I recited mentally, _No wonder she was shaken up…_

I heard the slamming of heavy paper smacking against the tile floor, "And when it does, I'll be there to laugh in your pathetic face." She hissed, and then I listened as her heels echoed through the hallways, Jeb cursing underneath his breath.

When I finally remembered that you needed to breath to live, I felt blank. Absolutely blank.

Amelia and her sister had the blood of the Gods, and they didn't even know it.

FANG

I was sitting in a crowded café in Palafrugell, Spain, waiting for my order. Every seat in the small restaurant was taken, each consumer speaking rapid Spanish that I couldn't even understand, but that didn't matter. I hadn't come there to chat anyway.

I pulled out the high-end laptop that I had been tucked into my bag when I had taken off back at the Argo II. When I looked back at the moment, I felt a twinge of guilt. I had overreacted a bit, but I was just so angry. Besides, there was no way that I was going to return to the flock right away. I had my own research to do.

I opened up the top of the compact computer. Before I decided to formally start my research, I opened the link to my blog, before beginning to type steadily:

**You are reading Fang's Blog. Welcome!**

**Today's date: **Already Too Late!

**You are visitor number: 321, 5645, 432**

**THEY ARE UP TO IT AGAIN! DON'T THEY EVER STOP TO TAKE A BREATHER?**

Yep, you read it right ladies and gentleman. The evil scientist that we all know and hate are up to it again, but I'm afraid that this time, it is much worse than any of us expected. Just about a week ago, I learned that they recreated yet another school, and they are calling it, gasp, the New School. Even as unoriginal as the name is, it is still major bad news. They have kidnapped some of the most powerful demigods in the world, so that they too can be turned into avians.

And yes, I said demigods. If there can be winged kids then there is enough room in the world for Greek/Roman demigods in the world, too.

But, that's not the point. This New School is rumored to be located in the Himalayas. Where in the Himalayas, I don't know. But if any of you live near the area, please keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Anyone who is wearing a white coat is fair game.

I'm doing this trip solo, so Max and the rest of the flock aren't with me, but I intend to do my best in stopping them. Along with the demigods they have also taken Angel, and I hate to think what could be going on with her.

So stay alert and stay alive. And if you see anything flying in the sky that isn't a plane/U.F.O/bird, do us a favor and turn the blind eye.

-Fang, somewhere in Spain.

I clicked out, accepting the coffee that the waitress had given me, handing her some money. Sipping the scalding liquid, I entered in through the Internet, scrolling to the Google search box that blinked in anticipation. I started out simply, inserting the cursor into the box before typing in the words: **New School. **

I scrolled through the thousands of bright blue links, clicking on anything that looked plausible. Eventually, I added other keywords, which include **Omegas, Scientists, Himalayas, **and even **EVIL! **But nothing came up except for some old news reports, which proved to be useless.

I stretched out my neck, easing the stiffness. I had searched for hours, and had hardly touched my coffee. People milled in and out of the shop easily, but I was still glued to my seat, steaming with frustration.

_You're typing in the wrong words,_ a voice echoed.

I was so startled; I nearly spilled my coffee over the laptop. It was the Voice, the slightly irritating yet usually resourceful conscious that Max had for the longest time, but I had also experienced. But, as far as I was concerned, Angel had been the Voice.

_Angel? Is that you? _I thought quietly.

_No, _it responded, dull and emotionless, _I'm just a voice. I'm not _the _Voice._

_Umm…okay?_ I responded silently. _Then who are you?_

_My identity means nothing to you. But what does matter to you now concerns the New School. And at the pace you're going, you'll still be without information by nightfall._

I clenched my jaw. _W__hy should I trust you? And how do you know about the New School? That leaves a lot of windows open for trouble if you ask me._

It paused, but when I thought that it had finally gone away, it started up again.

_If you don't trust me, Angel will die. The flock will run right into a trap, and everyone that you love will fall into the New School. You and I are the only one that can stop it._

I inhaled sharply, glaring down at the coffee. The Voice didn't seem malicious, yet it held no emotion. Grudgingly, I opened up the laptop, and reentered into the Google homepage, ready to type.

_Fine, _I thought coldly. _Now what do I type_?

_Type in the words "Fly. To. Survive", _The Voice commanded.

Realization sucked the breath out of me. _Aren't those lines from the prophecy that the orange-cle said back at the Argo II?_

_Yes Fang, _Voice replied. _The New School website is named after the very lines that the oracle of the Delphi recited. It's ironic, don't you think? The words that predict our doom are what we follow by. _

My fingers flashed across the keyboard, typing in the words **Fly to Survive** before punching the enter key. The results listed across the screen, opening up about a million different options.

_Which one do I click? There is about a million of them! _I mentally screamed.

_Click on the first one. It's obvious, is it not? _ Voice responded.

I leaned into the screen, peeking at the first option. Underneath the link written in prim black was only one phrase: _The keys to a better future._

_Yep, this is it, _I thought as I guided my cursor towards the link, selecting it. Immediately, I was redirected to a new window…that required a password.

I rolled my fingers into a fist. Nudge would have been better at this then I would have. I was going to be sitting here forever.

_Oh please, Fang. Do you really think that I would have guided you here with only to have you stumped on the password page? Max was right. You need to learn how to trust. _

Anger boiled in my ears, but I managed to keep control. Looking back down at the computer screen, I noticed that the password box was filling itself, the black dots multiplying before it finally entered in, loading up yet another page.

_How did you…? _I questioned Voice.

_You underestimate me Fang. Now go on, discover. Learn. Even strength has to bow down to knowledge sometimes. _

Rolling my eyes, I trailed over the main screen. On the first page, it offered and introduction. I scrolled down, unraveling the secrets. Most of it was utterly useless, explaining how a woman named Kathrin Q. Doyenne founded the New School after graduating from one of the prestigious colleges in Athens. She could see through the "mist" and that soon began her quest in "testing" the demigods. She was the first one to discover the antidote that could eliminate the mist's effects. It also stated that she was the lead scientist in many cases that involved avian and human DNA combinations. Yet, the article later stated about her so called "retirement", which left me wondering why she had retired at such a young age when she was apparently very successful.

I continued to trek down the page, reaching the last paragraph. As my eyes flew across the paragraph, I felt my heartbeat grow faster and my blood freeze over. It read:

_One of Doyenne's last projects before her most unfortunate retirement was a complicated, yet beautifully elaborate plan that involved a powerful scientific masterpiece. Title appropriately as Action Alpha, this operation would allow complete and utter domination of Mount Olympus itself, giving the New School newfound power to recreate the world in our own image. This plan would change the course of humanity as well. The main weapons in this plan have taken nearly sixteen years of preparation and is it expected to be put in effect in early September. _

A new weapon! The recreation of the world! I sounded as if they had really outdone themselves now. If they could control the Gods, then the entire world would crumble underneath us!

I looked at the date, August 20, 2013.

That gave us only twelve days until the 1st of September.

Twelve days until the world crumbles.

**I am really sorry about this chapter being so late! I feel so bad…**

**-medusa's pen**


	15. Chapter 15

**I know, I haven't updated in a week. **

**And yes, this chapter is short, but please, please, PLEASE cut me some slack. I've been **_**really**_** busy this week, and then my dog got really sick too, and we had to put her down :,(**

**So yeah, this week and last week pretty much sucked, and if my chapter reflects it, please ignore it. And if you don't like the way it ends I PROMISE that in the next chapter it will all turn out okay. And I hope that I'll be able to update next week.**

**Again, I'm really sorry. **

**Mistakes have made it their personal goal to defeat me. Please excuse them.**

FANG

I held up my crowbar, the cold metal stimulating my fingertips. Beads of sweat rolled down my forehead, mingling with blood. My heart beat pounded against my ribs as I pressed myself against the brick wall, cornered. The shadows of defeat were slowly becoming a reality, and exhaustion had crept into my lungs, thieving my air.

But there was no way in the world that I was going to give up.

In the darkness, the glowing reflection of their eyes was all I could see as they advanced, and that was what I went by. Forcing myself to step forward, I swung my bar of metal. I felt the pressure increase on the other end of the bar as it connected, and the Omega retreated a few steps, but it didn't seem keen on giving up. I twisted, avoiding the blade of another blood thirsty Omega. I swung in return, but the only thing I hit was air.

With one false step, I took a punch to the gut with such force I drew backwards, colliding into the brick wall hard. My teeth rattled and my vision blurred. The familiar yet despised, bitter taste of blood had returned, creeping on my tongue. Immediately, despite the increasing pain, I tightened the grip on my crowbar, and slashed it like a sword. The Omega bounce back on the balls of its feet, avoiding my attack, but another one took the opening while my defenses were momentarily down. The sharp glint of a metallic knife darted in front of my eyes, giving my nearly two seconds to get out of the way. I ducked, but the edge of the blade nicked my skin, drawing blood.

Cursing, I returned with a kick, sending the Omega flying. With my head pounding with newfound agony, my weapon collided with the side of the next Omega's head, and I watched as it crumbled onto the asphalt. A hint of a smile flickered across my lips, the triumph giving me new hope.

But, my victory was short lived as my feet were cut short, and I tumbled to the ground. I rushed to regain my footing, but it was hopeless. I was pinned, and I was already too exhausted to struggle myself upwards.

Two days ago, sitting in the café in Spain, I had learned about the deadline, and I was determined to stop it. That night, saying that it was already late, I explored the website some more, uprooting more of its dirty secrets. And the more I read, the less confident I had in my abilities to take the place down single handed. No means to seem self absorbed, but I was a pretty good fighter, and I _had _taken down everything from Erasers to Flyboys, but one thousand amped Omegas? Not a chance.

So I came to the only plausible conclusion-I needed the flock.

And yes, I needed Lynn.

I was beginning to think that back tracking to find them was possible, but they could be anywhere is Europe, and I wasn't keen of traveling over thousands of miles of foreign countryside. With the deadline slowly creeping in underneath our feet, it was a ridiculous and impossible notion. I contemplated going to the New School anyways, to await their arrival, but who knows how long that would be? Time was precious, and it was slipping through my fingers like sand.

_You must go to where they would go, _The Voice had told me, as I aimlessly flew over Spain. _You are still a member of the flock, Fang. Just think, where would you go? _

I couldn't help but feel annoyed. _I don't know. Everywhere we went; it was usually some last-minute arrangement. In others words, they could be on the other end of the planet by now._

The Voice sounded slightly defeated, as if it was going to sigh. _Must I hand feed you? You are clever, yet you fail to even come out with a simple solution. You must go to Italy, near the lands of Greece. That is where they are heading. I'm not exactly sure where, but although you can be dense, you are resourceful. You should be able to find them on your own._

I seethed wordlessly, suddenly feeling sympathy for Max when she had the dreaded Voice. _This seems sketchy. How are you able to know where the flock is? Only someone from the New School knows that._

_What other options do you have? Fly around the whole of the world and let the apocalypse happen? _

I arrived in Italy the next day, right into a trap.

The foot that was firmly planted on my chest increased its weight, and I struggled to regain my breath. When I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing. No remorse, no flicker of pleasure- just that horrible hollowness. I squirmed, but after fighting for countless hours, I felt drained, and my thrashing had no effect.

_Fang,_ an echo said. _When you need help, you just have to ask._

I closed my eyes, bitterness seeping through me. _Oh, so now you show up?_

If I hadn't known better, I could have sworn that The Voice laughed.

I collided my fists into its ankle, and it crumbled off me. I took the opportunity to roll away, planning to try to take flight. I whipped out my wings, the black feathers melting in the night, and I sprung upwards.

But they didn't seem too pleased that I was ditching them. I was side tackled, and we both went crashing onto the pavement. The blood pounded in my ears as I threw him off, and he landed on his feet perfectly, unfazed.

_I can help you Fang, _The Voice chided. _Just give me the words and I can get you out of this._

I grabbed the cold sides of the crowbar, preparing it like a baseball bat.

_I don't need your help. I can get out of this myself, _I thought, even thought I was beginning to have my doubts.

I lashed out the bar, and its metal tip smashed into an Omega's nose, causing her to falter. I turned around, stepping right where it wanted me. I was knocked in the head, and I fell to the ground…again. Spots danced in my eyes, and the pounding steps of the Omegas echoed and tunneled.

_So that's what you call "getting out" of it? _

I ignored The Voice, reaching for the crowbar that had clattered out of my hands.

_All heroes need help sometimes Fang, and the faster you learn to accept that, the better the hero you can become. Or, in your case, the more time you'll have to live._

I leaned against the wall for support as I stood, ready for the next volley of attacks.

_Shut-up! I don't need you! I was doing this mission fine without you. _

_That's where you're wrong Fang. If it wasn't for me, the flock would already be dead, and the war would have already been won. If it wasn't for me, you'd be a vegetated science experiment, freezing somewhere in the Himalayas._

I took a blow to the nose before I could react, trying to absorb what The Voice had said as blood oozed between my fingertips.

_What do you mean we'd already be dead? _I demanded, anger boiling inside of me.

I crumbled to the ground, my entire body screaming in pain. I pulled myself up, but was slammed from behind.

_Fine, _I gave in, swallowing my pride. _Help me._

_Code B._

My eyes swam as the Omegas began to circle me, ready to go in for the kill.

_What?! That doesn't make any sense! What do you mean, Code B?!_

But The Voice failed to reply, vanishing from my thoughts.

"Thanks a lot…" I muttered, rolling to my side just in time to evade a kick to the ribs.

I sprung upwards, agony coursing through me as I advance for a punch. It easily slipped out of the way, planting a punch to the stomach. I gasped to regain my breath, my strength melting away. I pressed my palm to my nose as blood tried to seep in through my mouth.

In a desperate attempt, I tried to regain my footing, but I was shoved against the bricks, my back exploding from the assault. I was then pinned, leaving me squirming against wall. I racked my brain for a solution, even temporary, but my options had run dry. This was it.

For a scary second, I thought I'd never get to see the flock again. Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Dylan, and Max…

_Code B, _The Voice had said.

I cringed as the Omega drew his knife, the cold blade raised to the moon. Just when I thought it was going to go through my skull, I made a spilt-second decision.

"Code B!" I strained, half-expecting the words to have no effect.

But they did something-they froze, their red glow fading. Their grip slacked, and I slid off the wall, crumbling to the asphalt. I watched victoriously as they drew away, taking off into the sky. I stood, giving them a sarcastic wave.

I sighed, exhausted, and I let my guard down.

It was the biggest mistake of my life.

I never saw it come. A sharp, deeper form of pain split through my back, and I could feel the red-hot throbbing as blood pooled down my shirt, my thoughts gone blurry. I cried out pathetically as I retreated to the ground, applying pressure to the wound. And before I passed out, I turned to see the Omega, the one that I had thought was gone, with a blade in his hand.

Dripping with my blood.

_Despite their differences, allies and enemies have one similarity-they can both stab you in the back when you're not looking._

I closed my eyes, and the darkness swallowed me.

**Again, I apologize for the inconveniences of this chapter… :(**

**-me∂usa's pen **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi.**

**This is my longest chapter yet, because after taking a million tests, writing is the best way to get rid of stress.**

**Hopefully this will be my last Fang POV for a while, but I had to include him in this one too.**

**Mistakes. They're there. Sorry about that…**

MAX

I leaned against the heavy metal wall of the plane, listening to the strum of the engine. The sky was hued an ugly, unforgiving black, minus the lights that were casted off the bulbs on the wings. Leaning on my shoulder was Gazzy, snoring softly. I too was exhausted, but no matter how hard I tried, sleep was impossible. Sitting in other rows in front and behind me were the rest of my little flock, scattered around, also dreaming.

Ever since I had that dream about Angel and the demigods, sleeping had seemed like a dangerous practice that could rip your consciousness to shreds. I had been in countless fights, chained in a dungeon, and kidnapped, but that particular dream had hit me right in the gut. It seemed so real and so vivid- and I was beginning to believe that it was more like a vision than a mischievous nightmare, but that's impossible.

Yet again, there was such a thing as demigods, so _anything _could be true.

I sighed, accepting defeat. It would probably be my luck that the moment that I fell asleep, the plane would land, and I would have to fly for endless exhausting hours until we reached the Himalayan Mountains.

My heart skipped at the thought of finally reaching the mountain range. It was hard to believe that this had all started so recently and not a millennia ago. I knew it had been a smart decision to travel by airplane, despite the argument that Iggy and I had gotten into at the airport back in France.

"Max," Iggy argued, disagreement rising in his voice. "If you haven't already noticed, we have wings."

"Iggy, please," I rolled my eyes. " If you haven't already noticed, we haven't made nearly enough progress as a rescue mission probably should. In fact, it's kind of pathetic."

"But we can do it!" He protested, becoming animated. "It's not like we haven't been in worse situations!"

In the background, I heard Lynn's fluent French as she asked for our tickets, (Is there nothing an Omega can't do?) paying for them with the euros that we had "borrowed" from a back account that Nudge had managed to crack into.

Hey, went you're being hunted and you're on a rescue mission, you do what you got to do.

Iggy gritted his teeth, "Seriously, we don't need the help of regular transport. I mean, Frank can turn into a freakin' dragon if her wants to, Lynn has futuristic boots, and the rest of us have things that spread out of our backs that are covered in feathers!"

"Iggy," Nudge said. "I know we've had some pretty bad experiences on planes, but it's not that bad. Besides, I'm _so _tired."

"And maybe, we'll be able to get to the New School without as many interruptions. That would be good, right?" Frank added.

I smiled down at those two, and even though Iggy couldn't see it, I'm sure he knew what was happening. He nudged Gazzy, "You don't agree with these guys, do you Gazzy."

Gazzy's expression could only mirror one thing- guilt. "Well, it would be good to rest for a little while…"

"I think everyone agrees with Max except for you," Dylan remarked, nodding at Gazzy's statement.

Iggy scoffed, "No offense Dylan, but you'd agree with Max even if she told you to tie up your wings and jump off a cliff."

Dylan shot him a dirty look, which he of course Iggy couldn't see, and for a second, I thought it was going to get ugly. Fortunately, Lynn came back with a fistful of tickets.

She glanced around nervously, her broken, homebound wrist resting to her side. Then she announced, " If you guys kill each other now, I don't want to be stuck cleaning _that _mess. Besides, I bought enough ticket for everyone, so there would be no need to fight for them. Now hurry up! The flight to India leaves in ten minutes!"

I turned, breaking the flashback as I glanced down at Gazzy. It had been a long couple of days, that was for sure. And, perhaps, what seemed worst of all was that I still didn't know where Fang was. I was sure that we would have run into him during our travels, saying that we were on the same path. But, I didn't even pick up a trace that he had existed. It's supposed to be a small world, right?

"You can't sleep either, huh?" I heard a soft voice whisper from behind.

I jumped, slightly startled from being interrupted from my thoughts so suddenly.

"Sorry," Lynn apologized solemnly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"S'okay. I was just thinking…that's all." I replied, shifting slowly so that I wouldn't awaken Gazzy.

Lynn laughed silently, "And God forbid we think! I assumed you be awake. You have a lot on your plate now."

I nodded quietly, agreeing. I _did_ have a lot on my plate, and it _had _been keeping me up.

I think I needed a vacation.

"You didn't have to do this, you know." She whispered, her eyes casted off, looking towards the window.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, sending her a quizzical look.

"I mean," She began. "You didn't have to help us. You could have left the Argo II when you had the chance. Then, you and the flock wouldn't have been on this mess."

"It's nothing…" I trailed off, before realizing that it was a pretty big deal. We had lost two flock members, and we had trekked across half the globe with a giant target across our backs.

"And I know that if I thanked you, it wouldn't really mean enough. I also know you hate flattery and stuff like that but," She paused. "I don't think you get enough recognition for what you do. Honestly."

I felt heat rush to my cheeks as I _actually _blushed. I've been complimented before, but I felt like Lynn just hit the nail on the head.

"Um…"

Lynn shook her head, "You should probably get some sleep. We'll be in India soon anyways."

I peered down at my ratty shoes, my untied laces dripping off the sides. The silence that followed seemed awkward, and I felt like the heat in the room shot up by fifty degrees.

So, naturally, I had to fill it.

"Hey, Lynn?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there any other Omegas like you? You know, besides your sister?" I inquired.

Lynn creased her brow, "Well, that was random."

I shrugged, "I'm just trying to make conversation. Besides, I'm just curious. There has to be others, right?"

She giggled half-heartedly, "I guess I don't blame you. You don't have the whole world at your fingertips."

She then sighed, her eyes casting out into space, "Yes. There were others- exactly two not counting my sister or I. They were amazing people. Without them, we would have died in the first few hours of our birth."

"Wait," I interrupted. "You remember your birth?"

"We aren't "born" per say. Omegas are generated at a certain age at the New School at age sixteen. Which is weird, saying that Amelia and I were born at age fourteen. If you want to get technical, Amelia and I are actually two rather then sixteen…" She coursed off topic, as if she was running away from her past. But then she just shook her head.

"Anyways," she continued. "Zephyr was the Omega who was born to oppose Annabeth, so he was always full of ideas since he had the power to actually use his thoughts. Some of his dreams were crazy, but we never made fun of them. He wasn't the most comforting guy, but he was still our best friend nonetheless."

She smiled, "And then there was Case, the Omega who was built to take on Jason. Man all mighty, she was so full of sarcasm and energy- not to mentions she could easily be described as "trigger-happy." But, she was a great person, always optimistic, always looking for the next laugh. She was much like the glue that held us together."

I perked up at her story, "Are they still at the New School with your sister?"

Lynn quickly lost her glow, and a dam of guilt burst inside of me. "They're dead. I don't even know what happened. I think they tried to escape, even though I told them that it would be suicide, but I think they went anyways. They were never heard or seen from again."

I swallowed, hard. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Lynn murmured, even though that was the biggest lie I ever heard.

"You know, you didn't have to tell me if it bothered you that much." I responded sincerely. I had my own running list of dark personal things that I mentally took a blood oath to never ever tell _anyone. _

"That's alright." Lynn nodded.

I was just about to say something comforting and Confucius-like, but then the plane took a hard lurch left.

I was thrown against the hard metal interior, my face squished up against the cold metal. Gazzy collided with me, awaking as his once peaceful slumber was shattered. Passengers and unharnessed luggage shooted left, and a cloud of panic seemed to be forming as everyone rustled from their dreams, trying to digest the situation. My little flock stirred, turning towards Lynn and I as we tumbled.

"What just happened?!"

"I don't know, turbulence?"

"Are we crashing?"

"We're crashing!"

The passenger's conversations erupted into chaos, random screams of fear bursting from their seats. The "fasten your seatbelts" sign flashed sporadically as a semi-calm voice echoed over the speakers.

"We are having some minor technically difficulties. Please stay calm and fasten your seatbelts. Then you may…"

She never got to finish. Just then, the mechanical plane tumbled right, throwing unfastened, frenzied people. Gazzy yelped as I wrapped my arm around him, gripping the seat like crazy as I tried to pull him towards me. Shrill cries shattered the air, surrounded by muffled conversations.

"They couldn't have attacked the plane, would they? That's impossible. They would never do something that obvious- so out in the open!" Lynn debated, flabbergasted.

The plane tilted, going sideways. Those who had the brain cells to attach their seatbelts clung to those who hadn't. I struggled to grip the leathery strap, but it was impossible as the plane yet again shifted to the opposite direction.

"Iggy, Dylan, Nudge and Frank!" I screamed over the impending uproar. "Come over here! We need to get to the back of the plane!"

They nodded, as they began to file from their seats. Lynn, who cupped her hands over he mouth, shouted, "Everyone calm down and get to the back of the plane! It's the safest place to be in the event of a plane crash!"

"So we are crashing?" A frightened woman screamed.

Even in the state of an emergency, Lynn couldn't help but be sarcastic, "No. The pilot's just practicing his routine for the circus!"

The woman frowned, but she didn't hesitate to move towards the back. Lynn looked satisfied as she repeated the speech in French, struggling to keep balance as the plane thrashed.

I squeezed in the corner with the flock and strangers. I attempted to keep peace, but I found that was really hard when the _whole freaking plane _was crashing and only a handful of people knew my language. As I rummanged my brain for a simple solution, a hand gripped my wrist. Turning, I found Iggy, his milky white eyes staring into nothingness.

"This might not be the best time," He admitted. "But I _totally _told you so."

Growling under my breath, the plane lost altitude.

FANG

"Is he dead?"

"Not the last time I checked."

"Whatever," The female voice retorted. "I'll poke him."

The male voice rose over again, "Please don't. The poor kid just got stabbed. The last thing he needs is to be assaulted by your poking."

Dazed, I felt the prodding of a finger pressed on my nose repeatedly- a continuous and annoying process.

"Stop it," I grumbled, my whole body throbbing, dulling my senses. My ears crashed as if someone was playing static in my cranium. My vision swam, the world swirling, my stomach churning. But my back was the worst- the burning irritation was nearly unbearable. It was almost as if I could feel each individual blood vessel shiver in its own personal agony.

I scrolled through my memory. The last thing that I could recall was the fight in the alleyway, then being stabbed in the back. After the voice had given me quite an evil message, I had passed out, half-sure that I would wake up in Hades.

I struggled to get a visual on the room. It was obviously run down and abandoned- the wallpaper was peeling like onionskin, and the windows that surrounded the unfurnished room each suffered several cracks and were even missing shards of their glass. Even the roof appeared to be slightly caved in, which was a bit unnerving, but it was a shelter nonetheless.

"It's alive!" The-One-Who-Poked-Me said. Her dark brunette hair swept over her face choppily, as if her hairdresser had taken a knife to it. Her eyes were a penetrating green, as if her irises were constructed of jade. Her semi-tanned complexion was coated with a thin layer of light brown freckles, as if she'd been out in the sun all day. She would have appeared decently innocent, minus the battle scar. Rippling across her left cheekbone was a long, serrated scar that was hued a painful white. It appeared as if it was inflicted years ago by a wicked blade.

A sigh appeared from the other end of the room, and I cocked my neck to get a better view. In the corner of the near vacant shelter, a teenage boy leaned against the wall, reading a book. His dirty blood hair jutted out of his scalp in several different directions, as if it couldn't stay down. As he temporarily looked away from the pages in his novel, I noticed his eyes. Beneath his glasses, they were an amplified, graying blue. His relatively pale skin was burned red around the nose by the sun. His appeared to be your classical, run-of-the-mill nerd, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was a genius.

"How do ya feel?" I teenage girl asked, poking me again in the nose _just_ to make sure that I was still breathing or something.

Ignoring her question, I inquired, " How did I…get here?" My swollen tongue garbled my words.

"Answering a question with a question is rude you know," she wagged her finger at me as she sarcastically scolded. "Besides, it sounds too much like philosophy, and God _knows _how much I hate philosophy."

"Leave him alone," The boy said, shutting his book. He got up, crouching down near where I laid. He lightly shoved the girl out of my face, receiving an annoyed expression in return.

"We found you bleeding out in an alley," he began. "Luckily, we got there in time before you bled to death. Then, we carried back to our little hideout."

"You mean _I _carried him back to our hideout." The girl corrected. "And let me tell you, you didn't way a _thing."_

The boy rolled his eyes, readjusting the glasses back to the roof of his nose, "Yes. Right. We just had enough supplies to keep you alive, but I can't do nothing about the pain. Sorry."

Still slightly groggy, I managed a pathetically, "Thanks."

He finally cracked a smile, "Well we couldn't just let you die, could we?"

"You're really lucky, too. When I saw the Omegas, I thought they were going after us at first. We are fugitives of the New School, after all. Then, when they went in the completely opposite direction, we went to go check it out. Then _poof! _We met you, the kid that had wings sprouting out of his back."

"Wait," I held up my hands in protest. "You guys know about the New School?"

"Know about it!?" The girl scoffed. "We _grew-up_ in that hellhole! We finally managed to bust out, but it only started this huge manhunt that has been going on for almost two years now! It's crazy!"

The boy nodded, "We've been out on our own for a long time, obviously. You're the only one we've been able to trust in a long time." He then growled under his breath as he yet again pushed up his spectacles. "Stupid things."

"Hey," the girl began. "Those are the only ones we could steal. Besides, its not my fault that you're the only Omega alive that can't see."

I felt like my head was spinning with newfound information and discomfort, "Wait, now you're also _Omegas?_ But aren't you supposed to be, like, robots?"

"Yep," the girl said proudly. "We're special!"

The boy rolled his eyes, reaching behind him for a water bottle, "Here, drink this."

I accepted the water, the room temperatures liquid blessing my scratchy throat.

As I drank my fill, the boy continued, "She's right. In the process of generation, there was a malfunction that allowed us the extraordinary ability to independently generate unique and original thoughts."

Huh?

The girl let out a laugh, "Look at his eyes! The dude just lost a ton of blood, and you're using your big-boy language! Not all of us were created to oppose Annabeth." She turned to me as the boy delivered a deluxe glare.

"In other words," she said. "We can think like normal people, and were considered mistakes."

Oh.

"So you guys are just like Lynn?" I murmured, thinking out loud.

The word "Lynn" seemed to set them off. "Wait! She's alive!"

I frowned, confused, "Yeah, a while ago, I ran into her."

The boy straightened up, pushing his glasses into place, "Tell us everything you know about the New School."

Despite my fatigue, I explained everything from the Argo II, stopping when I reached the tale that involved the alleyway. No need to relive that moment.

"The New School has a website? And there is a deadline? And they have the demigods already? Damn they are _fast!" _The girl exclaimed.

"That's interesting indeed," the boy observed. "I knew they were planning something big, but I never it had escalated to world dominating. Although knowing that Lynn is alive is a pleasant surprise! When we escaped, I thought for sure that they were dead, along with her sister…"

Suddenly, The girl gripped my shoulders and started shaking me in spastic movements, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US EARILER!"

"Stop it! He didn't know!"

She dropped me with a thud, and I was too dizzy to even come up with a snappy rebuttal.

"But that's why we have to go," I empathized. "If we don't defeat the New School soon, humanity goes down the toilet."

"We promise to help you," The boy said, a mischievous fire burning in his eyes. "Besides, revenge does sound sweet…"

"Yes," the girl chanted. "Sweet revenge!"

For the umpteenth time, the boy readjusted his specs, "We can't leave now though. Even though you're a genes allow you to heal quickly, you were still stabbed. You're going to have to recover first. But the second you are ready we'll take off. It's about time the New School got a taste of its own medicine."

The girl was practically salivating at the thought, "Yes. Yes we will!"

Realization suddenly appeared in her eyes, "Hey, according to out databases, you're Fang, correct?"

I nodded, even though my head was pounding.

"But you don't know our names! How rude of me!" Gesturing towards herself and the boy she said, "My name is Case, and this is Zephyr. Otherwise known as Omegas 111 and 112."

**Maybe this chapter wasn't that exciting, but it was on time! And it was insanely long! **

**-me∂usa's pen**


	17. Chapter 17

**READ THIS PLEAASSE!**

**Hello, this is medusa, the big failure :(**

**I know I've said this a hundred million times for the past chapters, but I apologize for being late. The last months of school have totally buried me alive, and owlcity2013 had to dig me out. For some reason, teachers think that it is okay to put all the big assignments on us at the same time. (GRR) Don't they know I have a fanfiction to update!? Not to mention those ugly moments of writers block when I would just stare at the blinking curser, wondering what to write. Finally, I got really sick and was out of school for two days so I got to write then.**

**Thank the gods for germs!**

**I just wanted to thank you guys for sticking with me. I was still getting reviews and followers even through my absents (THANK YOU!) And although this chapter isn't that interesting- I think that last sentence will get your blood going. **

**And easy on the criticism please! I just got over writers block so I'm still a little fragile…**

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO OWLCITY2013!**

**(Mistakes. I mean, you've waited two weeks for an update. I'm sure you can deal with them…)**

HAZEL

The rain came down in sheets, drenching the small white house that sat at the end of the woods. The house was depilated and decaying- but the warmth of light was bursting orange through the front windows. Despite its less-than-perfect appearance and out of the way location, it gave me a feeling of serenity.

That is, until a dark, ebony truck rolled onto the driveway. It crunched the gravel under its tires carelessly, sending petite stones scattering. It parked hastily, the engine rejecting the rain with a definite growl. After it completely stopped, the passengers opened the doors impatiently before stepping out into the bareness of the midnight thunderstorm. Most of them I recognized immediately- there were nearly a dozen Omegas armed with knives. Two other, non-Omega occupants swiftly followed the new army of drones, gowned in soaked sweaters.

I inhaled sharply when I finally realized who they were.

Standing in the rain were none other Jeb and Dr. Hoarfrost.

"Are you sure this is the right house?" Jeb questioned sharply, sending a burning glare towards the elderly old lady.

"Yes, I'm quite positive," She answered collectively, ignore the hostility of her partner.

"That's what you said last time, and you lead us to an abandon house in the middle of Alaska," He countered, taking precautious steps towards the peaceful settlement.

"Oh you know good old Doyenne. She's not one to give up easily," She laughed curtly, without a taste of humor. "She reminds me of someone I know… Jeb."

Jeb's irises did summersaults, "Very funny. Now lets get what we need and leave. I'm getting soaked."

A cruel smile spread across the doctor's face, "God forbid that our poor Jeb get the sniffles standing in the rain. In a few seconds, if we are successful, getting a small cold will be well worth the power we're about to obtain."

Jeb brought his spectacles off the roof of his nose and gingerly wiped the rain droplets off the glass. "For once, I agree with you."

Doctor Hoarfrost nodded, before gesturing to the patient Omegas," Prepare for attack. Retrieve the targets _alive. _ Understand?"

"Affirmative," They chanted in perfect unison.

"Good," She agreed, satisfied. "Of course, I have my share of surprises as well."

Quietly, she reached into the front pockets of her baggy sweatshirt. For a mere second, as Jeb turned over to caught her eye, the shiny shell of a pistol became visible.

"Do contain yourself, Susana." Jeb warned, but I had the ominous impression that she had ignored his advice.

He scaled the porch, knocking lightly.

"What in Hell's name are you doing, Jeb? Do you think she's really just going to give away her daughters if you politely asked her?"

Jeb seethed underneath his breath, "Unlike you, I'd prefer that his doesn't get bloody the second we arrive."

Dr. H shook her head, "You never fail to express your stupidity to me, Jeb."

Jeb ignored her with difficulty, knocking more defiantly.

Suddenly, a soft voice rang through the house, "David? Is that you?"

The latch to the door chirped as it was unlocked, "David, where have you been? I'd been beginning to believe that something bad happened-"

The figure of a woman appeared at the door. Her dark, black hair pooled over her shoulders. Her thin lips were in a small smile, enhancing the humor wrinkles that had creased around her eyes from numerous laughs. Freckles dotted her cheeks; light brown dots that appeared infrequently. Although she looked lighthearted, she was obviously rundown. Dark, purple shadows fell underneath her onyx hued eyes. Her complexion was abnormally pale, as if she was falling ill. Sporting a nightgown and an oversized, ink colored trench coat, she answered the door.

She reminded me of something- I just couldn't put my finger on it…

As soon as she had eye contact with the devious pair, her expression immediately melted, replaced by dread.

"Long time no see Kathrin dearest. Did you think you could hide from us forever?"

"How did you-?"

"Please Hon," Doctor Hoarfrost cackled. "Finding your newest little rat hole was simple. You should know that! You used to be one of us, don't you remember. You go for nothing traitor."

"I'm not longer a scientist. I believe I made that very clear," The woman hissed, her hand slipping nonchalantly into her pocket.

Doctor Hoarfrost appeared ready to rebuttal twistedly, but Jeb stopped her, "You have what we want Kathrin. And whether you're friend or foe, we intend to retrieve what we came here for. This particular plan is, or should I say, _was_, yours anyways."

"That was a mistake. I will never let you take my daughters. They are not your personal chess pieces. I took me years to realize that, and I deserve the Fields of Asphodel for what I've done. But, there is one thing that I'm sure of- you will leave this house empty handed."

"I think not. Omegas, I order-" Jeb started.

But her never finished his sentence. Kathrin's hand flew out of her pocket, retrieving a concealed Taser. Tentacles lashed out of the black box, latching onto Jeb and electrifying him. Convulsing with electricity, Jeb shivered to the ground. In the midst of shock, Doctor Hoarfrost received a well-planted kick to the chest, blowing her back. Twisting off the porch, she landed face-first on the uneven pavement. Kathrin immediately closed the door, dead bolting the lock.

Doctor H peeled herself off the pavement, blood oozing from her nostrils. Instead of rage, her eyes were filled with a different emotion- anticipation.

She removed the blood that was dripping onto her lips, before muttering, "So you're going to play dirty? Well then…" She turned towards the Omegas. "Carry out your duties immediately! No mercy!"

"Yes." They lisped, and then charged for the house.

I woke with a start, as the door to the crate flew open, artificial light trickling through.

"Come now little demigods. Time to play." Doctor Hoarfrost spoke, a cold hostility giving her voice an edge.

My fingers still trembled with the last hints of my nightmare. And with the malicious old woman standing in front of the entrance, it didn't really help.

_What had happened that night?_

I crawled out of the crate hesitantly, half expecting to be jabbed with a needle, or thrown up against a wall, but nothing happened. I took notice that I wasn't the only one who'd been sprung. Everyone was out, including the newest member to the prison club, Angel.

I resisted the urge to hug everyone. I hadn't seen them face-to-face for a long time, and although it seemed irrelevant, I felt relief the moment I came eye to eye with them. They looked beat up and pale, and I'm sure I looked the same, but we were all alive.

I was pretty sure that was what the others were thinking too.

"So, what? You're not going to through us against a wall or drug us until we can't move?" Percy questioned harshly.

The silver haired demon offered him a smirk, "My, my Jackson. I didn't think you'd be so enthusiastic! Sadly, I've been specifically ordered to not use drugs of any kind. It might contradict the results."

"The results? This better not be another stupid test," My brother said through gritted teeth.

"It's hardly stupid, what it your name now-Nick? I think you'll find this test more pleasant then the last."

"My name is Nico."

Dr. H dismissed him with a wave of his hand, "No matter. Now come with me. There is a lot to be done."

"And what if we refuse? What makes you think we're just going to follow you obediently? I'd rather walk off a cliff." Jason said, and even I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. That's kind of stupid on your part." Piper agreed.

Dr. H just shrugged, "You can try to escape, but I have dozens of Omegas behind me, and even more waiting at a seconds notice to attack. You're weak, and powerless. Besides, there is no way that you'd leave without that little Omega girl."

I felt my jaw drop. _How does she know about Amelia?_

"What did you _do _to her?" Leo demanded, with a renewed, surprising fierceness, ripping us away from our shock.

"Defensive, aren't we? I didn't lay a finger on the twin, mind you. If you don't believe me, just question the little mind reader in the room."

Ever since Angel arrived, she had told us about everything- the flock, the rescue party, and, much to Leo's dismay, the crashing of the Argo II. When she openly admitted her psychic-like powers, we'd been a little surprised, but not too much. We were demigods, after all. And although I felt immense pity for the young avian, I couldn't help but feel grateful for her presence. Without her, I would still be worried ill about Frank, who I didn't even know was alive until she told me that he was coming.

_Oh gods._ Just recalling Frank's name brought a jab to her heart. I never really knew how much the slightly awkward son of Mars comforted me until we were forcefully ripped apart. Knowing that he was probably riskng his life along with Angel's family worried and flattered me- although Frank was nothing like Percy, who always seemed to be getting himself into trouble…

"Now hurry," She cooed sinisterly. "The faster we can complete this, the faster you'll be unburdened with the task."

We were escorted away into the hallways, a massive amount of Omegas closely observing our march. Angel trailed behind us, and when I leaned over my shoulder to confirm her presence, I recognized how panicked she appeared. Clammy and white, she looked as if she was about to kneel over from a heart attack.

_It's okay Angel. Nothing bad is going to happen. We're all going to be all right. _I thought encouragingly.

Angel shook her head in defiance, _it brings back bad memories. I-I don't like this._

I found myself reaching for her hand and gripping her fingers. She seemed utterly surprised. From her stories, Angel wasn't much of a sweetheart and was far more mature for her age. But, she returned the gestured and held my hand.

_Thank you_, her thoughts persisted, so quiet it was almost like a whisper.

I smiled, for the first time in a long while, as we were ushered into a small room that faintly reminded me of a waiting room for a doctor's office, minus the fact that there were no cheap magazines- or chairs for that matter.

"Wait here," Hoarfrost commanded. "Don't move. But it's not like you could anyways."

She slammed the door, and I heard numerous locks clash against each other.

"Well this sucks," Nico said, shattering the silence.

"Thanks Nico. We can always count on you to optimistic," Leo cheered sarcastically.

"Anytime Valdez," Nico replied, not missing a beat.

"I wonder what they want now?" Piper wondered out loud. "I hope its not maze running."

Groans rippled through the group in agreement.

Angel began to speak, "I think its some sort of fight. I'm not exactly sure though. She seemed to be guarding her thoughts purposely to me."

"A fight? I think we can handle that…" Percy speculated.

"We were _born _to fight. It's like our divine purpose." Jason agreed.

"But why?" I found myself question. "For someone who wanted to basically destroy us, why are they motivating us to fight?"

Angel looked ready to launch into explanation, but Annabeth stopped her, "It obviously has something to do with our previous sugary. The avian DNA they implanted in our cells must have chemically reacted with the rest of our blood and stimulated-"

She paused in her explanation when she took one look at Percy's glazed over eyes. I couldn't help but muffle a giggle when Annabeth sighed.

"It means that it made us stronger, and they're testing it out."

_Oh._

Suddenly, the release of locks chimed, hushing our conversations as we prepared our hostile faces. By the look in Percy's eyes- I thought he was literally going to kill whoever appeared in the doorway, and I think Annabeth saw it too- and shot him a look. Everyone wanted to get out, and even though Dr. H was a creepy old hag, she was right about escaping. It would be futile.

"We will be going to test you in the order we performed the surgeries," Doctor H said as she materialized in front of the door. "Alpha four, that means you."

LEO

Three Omega' shot through the room faster then I could even remember who Alpha Four was (Me, of course). Grabbing me by the wrist, they lead me out of the little box that they called a room.

"Good luck, Leo," Hazel called after, who was still holding the hand of the little mind reader, Angel.

"Yeah," Nico agreed, whose soar mood was really showing. "You'll need it."

You can always count on Nico for moral support.

With a few twist and turns, I was jerked into yet another room, only larger. Giant florescent tubes burst with life as I entered the strangely vacant area. Its height was incredible; the ceiling reached several stories high. Near the top, there appeared to be some sort of opening, sealed off with glass- most likely a viewing box so that they wouldn't miss the gore.

And I was right. I watched with pure hatred as Dr. H and a few other miscellaneous scientists gathered in opening, staring down at me with interest- as if I was some sort of lab rat they expected to do a flip or something. One young scientist- the one I recognized as the over enthusiastic college graduate, stepped up against the glass, reaching for a microphone.

"Alpha four-"

"Leo!" I yelled.

But she didn't even stop, "-this test requires you to engage in combat to a subject that was originally superior to your skills. Your mission to defeat the opponent without being eliminated."

"What?"

But my question was left unanswered. Faintly, I heard the door open from the opposite end the room, the echo sending wavelengths through the near unoccupied space. I turned, and my heart stopped.

My opponent was Amelia. _"To engage in combat to a subject superior to you skills."_

I probably should have seen that one coming.

I was never one for hand-to-hand combat. I could build any weapon, machine, or device, but it came to fighting, I had to use my wits to get out of them. If I ever tried to use my physical strength- like everyone else in the seven used, I would probably be squashed like a bug. Either it was my wits, or it was my fire, but at the moment, I didn't have either. Not to mention that if Amelia went too easy on me she'd be exposed and caught, and I'd almost rather be tossed around like a rag doll then have that happen.

Yep, I was totally going to get squashed.

For a split second, Amelia's eyes connected with mine, and a sense of surprise made her pupils enlarge, but she quickly extinguished that. She stood straight and proper, her fists balled to her sides.

"Omega 113.5, prepare for combat!"

JEB

The day in which the demigods went under testing was the only time I ever got to escape the clutches of that little witch I was forced to work with- and on that particular day I was no more relieved. I was already in a sour mood, and I didn't need that old hag to increase it.

Sighing, I replayed the clip I'd already view dozens of times, clicking on the mouse pad on my laptop harshly.

"A Miracle happen today in India when a thought to be lethal plane crash occurred off the coast. Miraculously, the plane was able to perform an emergency water landing. Only, we later found out that the pilot was found unconscious during the crash, and the wings were damaged. With no reported injuries, the passengers onboard are now…"

I shut the laptop violently, placing my face in my palms. My plan to slow down or perhaps even prevent the rescue party backfired tremendously- it scarcely earned me a few hours.

"Someone looks busy," A voice catcalled from behind, disrupting my thoughts.

I swiveled around in the chair, displeased, "Susana! Aren't you supposed to be-"

"Evaluating the progress? I grew bored. Our chosen Omega doesn't seem keen on hurting Alpha 4, she's merely toying with him. Quite disappointing, honestly."

"Get out," I demanded.

"I thought I would keep you company," She stated, ignoring me.

I followed her example, turning away from her, concentrating on work.

"Hazel's been having dreams," Dr. H said casually.

My fingers paused in mid stroke, "What do mean, dreams?"

"How I will cherish the day you put two and two together," Hoarfrost daydreamed. "What messages do you think the Gods would be sending? It's obviously about our little twins."

For once, I found interest in my colleague, "Are you quite positive?"

She nodded, "I would never lie to you."

I snorted.

"It won't take the demigods long to put two and two together." She started. "After the conversation Percy overheard and Hazel's new nightmares, they're bound to converse. They'll unravel our neat secrete like an orange, and we'll be exposed."

I faced her, glaring, " Is this what you want? To be exposed?'

She shrugged, "It doesn't matter now Jeb, it's already too late. It's not like you can clean sweep someone's memory this time, and fix it all."

"That procedure was only used three times. And since you were snooping around in the files, I'm sure you already know which three people were used."

For once, I managed to get under her skin, and she grimaced. I felt a spark of victory, but it was short lived when she returned to her original composer.

"It's in the past now," She sang. "Besides, I should probably get to work now. I have wings to attach tomorrow."

**At long last, they're getting their wings next chapter! I hope that makes up for my epic failure. **

**The Leo POV is really short, but I just wanted to shine some light on that situation. **

**Can anybody guess the daughters that Hazel was dreaming about?**

**I hope I can get the next chapter out faster. Of course, I said that last chapter…**

**-me∂usa's pen **


	18. Chapter 18

LEO

I stood straight, formatting myself in a fighting position. I was never good at hand-to-hand combat, and no one with a head usually fought weaponless with a boy who could spontaneously combust- but at the moment I didn't even have that.

On the other hand, Amelia was looking strong and lithe; her fighting stance appeared graceful rather than my awkward looking one. She had flicked back her ebony hair with a twitch of a neck, reveling both of her silver eyes. Although any hint of expression had been wiped clean off her face, her blank stare was burning into me.

This was going to be interesting.

"Begin!"

Amelia hopped on her toes, making the first move. I could scarcely dodge as her fist just breezed past my eyes. I jumped back, only to receive a kick to the chest. It wasn't a hard blow, she was obviously trying not to brutally damage me, but it was enough to knock me over.

She straightened her posture, shifting slightly, waiting for me to take the next move.

I charged, ready to deliver some sort of attack. But before I could even get there, Amelia stretched out with inhuman speed, sending her foot underneath my ankles, causing me to trip.

I stood up again as Amelia backed up, her silver eyes glittering with... amusement?

She raced towards me, gaining momentum. I scrambled to get out of her path, and she kicked thin air. She turned towards me, and began push me further towards the wall, her assault of attacks slower so that I could evade each one my stepping backwards.

The wall was getting closer, and I was dreading the moment that I would reach it. And, despite Amelia's efforts to not kill me, I don't think she could keep up this game of hit-and-miss for long without raising suspicion.

I took a chance. Amelia threw another punch, and I slide sideways to avoid getting knocked in the face. Instead of immediately regaining myself, I grabbed her wrist, surprising myself at my own speed. Shock shook Amelia's eyes as I tossed her sideways by the wrist. She lost her balance in surprise, knocking her to the ground. Happy chirps scattered across the viewing booth as Amelia skidded across the floor.

I smiled to myself, and Amelia caught it. Her silver eyes secretly narrowed, and my smile quickly vanished. I started to develop that dreadful feeling that she wasn't just going to let me win anymore.

She sprung and pounced, her palms shoving me down before I could even register the fact that she was attacking. Thankfully, I kept my balance, my feet skidding against the floor.

I wove through Amelia's next volley of kicks- but barely. While I struggled to evade her kick, she didn't even hesitate. She urged me to the ground with yet another slide of the foot. Albeit she had gone all blank-faced once more, I could have sworn she looked satisfied.

It was _so_ on.

I pushed myself up fast before Amelia had the chance to pin me to the ground. With the gears turning inside my head, I advanced once again.

Concentrating, Amelia watched as I advanced, almost like a cat on mouse.

She greeted me with a swing of the fist, but I was getting better. I ducked as she punched and she struck nothing, leaving a tiny fan of air in its wake.

I stood up, imitating her toe hopping movements, leaving a tiny trance of annoyance in her face. She backed up and arched for a kick, her foot going airborne.

Perfect.

When I look back on that fight, I still can't believe that a managed to pull it off. It was almost as if my muscles were controlling themselves, reacting faster and stronger than ever.

Her foot came up, and my hand flew out to catch it, stopping the momentum in midair. Amelia was dumbstruck, abandoning her vows as her eyes widened. With little effort, I sent her flying, and for the second time, Amelia fell to the ground.

Before she could regain herself and reduce me to a pulp, I lightly planted a foot on her chest.

"I win."

Breathing hard, a small smile flickered on her lips.

"Congratulations," a slightly annoying, perky voice echoed as Doctor Hapi Pills chirped into the microphone. "Now stay put. No running off! We'll escort you back. "

_Like I could leave in the first place…._

I held out my hand for Amelia, "Sorry about that…"

She grabbed my hand, "Damn, Leo. If all it took was some bird blood to make you stronger, then you probably should of done that surgery earlier."

I rolled my eyes, "Ha-ha, very funny."

Amelia smirked, "I was going easy on you anyways, so one win wasn't that big of a deal."

I raised an eyebrow, "Easy on me! Yeah, right."

"Do you doubt my strength, Valdez?" She said darkly.

I smiled sarcastically, "Maybe."

"Oh please," she retorted. "I didn't even use my knives. You could have been a Leo-Kabob."

Point taken.

"They'll be coming to get you soon. I should probably dismiss myself before they get here…" Amelia stated halfheartedly, before trailing off distantly, staring down at her hands.

We were still holding them.

We both immediately let go, embarrassed. I felt my face grow warm, and I knew I had probably just blushed. I casted my eyes down, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck, trying to find words to fill the stuffy silence that filled around us.

"Um," I stuttered, unable to find words.

"No, it's okay," Amelia rescued, even though she too looked a little flustered.

Suddenly, the entrance to the testing room flew open, reveling Omegas and Doctor Perky, who'd finally come back to take me to the stupid waiting room- where'd I'd have to wait to see if all my friends came to in one piece from their fights, and I had a feeling that their fights weren't going to be as easy as mine.

"Omega 113.5, you may return to your original position," The Doctor waved towards Amelia.

Amelia gave a petite, swift nod, any traces of our last conversation wiped clean off her face, leaving her completely stoic. I watched with a surprisingly heavy heart as she turned and departed in the opposite direction.

Before I could do anything else, I felt myself being pulled in the chrome hallways by the rough hands of Omegas, while the Doctor chirped over enthusiastically about stats and the percentage of improvement and other useless things that were scarcely worth listening to, and her voice fell into the background.

Then as if on some crazy impulse, I twisted my head, looking behind me one last time, hoping to catch a final glimpse of Amelia.

But she was already gone.

AMELIA

I walked back to the Demigods chambers, nearly skipping down the halls with my arms full of the tuna sandwiches that they'd been serving in the scientist's cafeteria. I had been replaying the fight I had with Leo over and over in my mind, and every time I couldn't help but smile a little inside. Especially when I mental recited the end, where we were unknowing holding hands. Although it had to be my imagination, but I swore my hand was still warm where he held mine…

I shook the thought out of my head, afraid that it would leave me careless, and with the hot water I was already in with Doctor Hoarfrost, the last thing I needed was to make another blunder- and I was almost positive that if I fell out of line again, I wouldn't be as lucky.

I snuck into the corridors, deactivating the security cameras with ease, already accustom to the once foreign code. As I got closer to unlocking the door, I could already begin to hear their voices bleed out into the hallway. Most of the time I arrived, they were conversing about something. I mean, that was the only thing they really could do. Usually, their conversations were harmless remarks like "Are you alright?" or "How was it?" But today, as I messed with the tedious locks, based on the tones of their hushed voices, they were talking about something different. Something more… _serious._

"…how could she be a demigod?" I caught, immediately identifying the voice as Leo's. He seemed almost doubtful, shocked even- on whatever remark was made before. Unfortunately, it had only been a fragment of a sentence, and I couldn't help but feel curiosity bubbling in the back of my head.

I stopped trying to unlatch the door momentarily, listening.

"But, if what Percy says is true- which I'm sure it is, than it has to be! Not to mention the mysterious dream Hazel's been having. It can't just be a coincidence," Annabeth responded.

"But, wouldn't she know herself? She would've told-"

"But if Amelia didn't know herself?" Jason said, interrupting Leo.

_What? They're talking about…me?!_

"Jason's got a point. Amelia and her twin, Lynn, have pretended to be mindless drones for all their lives. It's not like anybody's going to tell them. I guess the only thing that is confusing is Hazel's dream." Nico expressed.

"If only I would've seen the whole thing," Hazel sighed. "I woke up before the dream could finish. But Jeb and Hoarfrost were in it for sure."

My mind was reeling, and I exhaled for the first time in minutes. The lock on the door was forgotten, as I pressed my ear up against the door, waiting for more to be said.

"I still don't know you guys…" Leo said. "It just seems…unreal."

"Come on, Leo," Pier said. "You got to admit, it does make sense. It might even explain why she's able to think for herself."

"Exactly," Annabeth agreed.

"Wouldn't she have some sort of an indication, though? You know, like a red flag that she's a demigod?"

Annabeth thought about this, "Not necessarily. Everybody's powers show up at different times, during different circumstances. She may not have had the opportunity. Or, she could be poisoned. You know the injection that we take that enables our powers? If they really wanted to hide the fact that she was a demigod, they could be slipping the stuff into her food, or by other means."

Annabeth paused for a few seconds, as if reorganizing her thoughts, but she started up again.

"We get the injection every two days, so it's a pretty safe bet that the anti-power serum only lasts two days. And, if Amelia is possibly a demigod, then her twin must be, too. So, maybe Lynn's discovering_ her_ powers because she's been far away from the scientist's influences."

Annabeth sounded like she was ready to jump into something more, but it was Angels turn to speak.

"Hey guys," Angel said, her voice softer than usual.

"What's up?" Hazel said sweetly

"I'm not sure, my powers have been kind of fuzzy since I arrived, but I think Amelia's at the door. And I think she's been listening to us…"

All the demigods went silent, and I rushed to open the door, trying to make it appear as if I had been fumbling with it for the first time. I knew they wouldn't fall for the stupid trick- but it was the only thing I could think of.

Any warmth I felt from the fight with Leo was gone. I was still confused about the whole situation- about what Percy had apparently over heard and about Hazel's dream, but one thing was for sure- they thought that Lynn and I were demigods. I felt numb, as if I had been electrocuted.

_That's impossible, _I told myself as I opened the door. _How could _I_ be a demigod?!_

But, something new stirred inside of me- something aside from the brewing denial. It was almost as if I had been called a demigod before, long ago. Yet, according to my memory, this was the first time someone ever suspected that _I _was a child of the Gods.

"_You're more powerful than you could ever imagine," _Doctor Hoarfrost had said.

I shook my head briefly. It had to be, no, it _was_ impossible. Omegas are generated in a lab, with regular, mortal DNA because it was impossible to generate a demigod in the way Omega's were generated. If they could generate demigods, then they wouldn't have to go out and physically kidnap them. I couldn't be a demigod- the facts didn't add up.

But yet…

I pushed open the doors, entering the quiet room. I faked my tone back into its usual, light self, hoping that I appeared as if I had heard nothing.

"So," I began as I stepping inside the room. I could feel all their eyes on me, probably wondering if I had in fact overheard their conversation.

"So," I repeated casually. "Do you guys like tuna?"

* * *

I laid down in my little cubby, mentally checking the time through my databases. I watched as the bright red glare reflected off the hallow walls, concurring the darkness.

2:30 in the morning.

_Great._

I give myself the liberty of a sigh, and I cringed as it echoed off the near emptiness of the room, even though I knew there'd be no one to hear it. All the other Omegas were sleeping soundless in their own, personal bunkers- all of them must likely asleep the moment their heads hit the hard boards if their "beds". They wouldn't wake up until instructed to, because they were built correctly. Drones.

The only ones who would've heard my sharp intake of breath were the ones who used to sleep aside on me, Omegas 111, 112 and 113- but they were all either long dead or escaped.

I was the only mistake left. But now, at least according to the last debate the demigod went through- there might be a reason Lynn and I were mistakes.

It couldn't be real. Demigods have weird dreams all the time. If Hazel had a dream that supposedly had Jeb and Creepy Hag Lady in it doesn't mean it had to do with Lynn and I having immortal blood. It was preposterous, really.

Yet, if it was so ridiculous, why in the world was I staring into the darkness at 2:30 AM?

My last conversation with the demigods had been somewhat one-sided and a little cut off, saying that I could hardly come up with anything to say. I usually loved to talk with them- they were all good humored and some of them (Percy especially) where sarcastic in such a way, it made me smile. I kept waiting for them to say something about me being a demigod or anything along the lines of that, but they never said a word about it when I had entered the room. Maybe it was because they themselves had doubted it, or, more likely, they weren't exactly sure how I'd react. It was valid reasoning, I suppose, but it still left a lot of nagging questions in the back of my head, leaving me to fill in the blanks on what Hazel's dream had meant or what Percy had heard. Over looking the situation, it would've been wiser to ask them in the beginning. Perhaps_ I_ was the one who was doubtful.

I rubbed my eyes, and they burned slightly, as if I kept them open too long. The last time I wasn't able to fall asleep was the night Case and Zephyr were executed.

_Just the reminder I needed. _

I bumped my head against the boards. I really needed to get my train back on its rails. The date was still fuzzy, but the demigods were going to get their wings attached any day now, I could sense it. And I still had no escape plan. It was so frustrating- but every route I conjured was too flawed or had too many obstacles to overcome in a short amount of time. It seemed, no matter which way we went, the New School was already miles ahead of us.

I hoped that the others would get here fast. They could play the act of the distraction, and then maybe, _maybe_, we'd have a chance of escaping. Then Hazel could see Frank again, Angel could be reunited with her family, and everyone would be free.

And Lynn and I could finally have a ligament vacation. It wasn't the priority, but it sounded nice.

I smiled as the thought of the flock, the demigods, and Lynn and I tanning in Hawaii came to mind. It was so ridiculous it was almost laughable.

I closed my eyes, trying to relax. If I didn't fall asleep soon, I was going to look like a zombie in the morning.

But I never did get to sleep that night.

Familiar screams shattered the once quiet air, shattering the peace. They were nearly battle cries, as if a group were trying to defend themselves- but having little luck. And although they were probably farther away based on the echoes, you could still catch their words of protest.

The demigods.

I've never ran so fast in my entire life. The moment my feet hit the ground, I took off sprinting at maximum, sliding open the vault door with swift ease. My footfalls bounced off the hallways, probably alerting every scientist in my wake, but at the moment, I scarcely cared. The demigods were weaponless against a horde of Omegas that were near impossible to slay. If they were able to make even remote progress against the them, then they must have some sort of plan. Perhaps they had even found away out, which I had some linger doubts about, but it was overshadowed by hope completely.

I turned the corner, counting down the turns it would take until I arrived at their chambers. The sounds of their battle were getting closer, and found my heart pounding. There were no other factors in my mind proving that they were an extremely powerful group of demigods that were used to collaborating each other- but the odds were utterly stacked against them. They couldn't use their powers, they had no weapons while the Omegas had their knives... it just left me to worry.

I widened my sprint, nearing the hallway were they were assigned on. Their words as they clashed were completely comprehendible now, and by the sounds of it, they seemed like they were being slightly over powered.

_I'm almost there_, I chided to myself. _All I have is one more door to unlock and..._

I was so lost in my own sea of thoughts that I nearly was impaled by the dagger catapulting down the hallway.

I halted, skidding slightly as I just managed to evaded, the side of the blade just grazing my forehead. Although I didn't feel any pain due to the tolerance all Omegas share, I knew it had nicked me slightly. I raised my fingers to the my forehead, only to have my fingertips kissed in my blood.

I had been spotted. Nearly a dozen Omegas began to fill the hall in front of me, their blades gleaming in the florescent lights. I cursed under my breath. If I couldn't get to the demigods in time, the promise of escape would dissipate.

I pushed myself up to my feet, posed in a fighting position. Adrenaline surged through my veins, stimulating my senses as I drew my set of daggers. I felt the cold blades fill between the slots in my fingers. Lynn was always better at the art of dagger throwing, but I was pretty good myself. Besides, I would never last against a dozen armed Omegas weaponless. It was my best bet- my only chance.

And then I attacked.

I met my first advancer with a devastating blow to the side on the head, using the butt of my blade as a weapon. Upon fracturing its weak spot, it faltered, giving me a second to slam its body into the next attacker. I watched with a twinge of victory as they rolled across the tile floor in chaos.

I skid backwards slightly as a new volley of daggers, bounced off the floor where I had once stood, scattering themselves in a dangerous mess. I threw my own daggers, sending them flying into the air like silver birds. One missed completely, thrown off by my own haste, while the other impaled itself into my attackers shoulder, drawing out blood. It hardly disturbed it, but it gave me a single second to slammed it against the concrete walls with a sideways kick. It deflated to the ground.

I aimed and then threw my next knife, trying to keep enough distance between the Omegas and I, and was having little success. Their own, more precisely thrown daggers threaten to knock my head off its shoulders. I cried out a curse as one slit open my shoulder, cutting open the cloth and taking some skin with it. I felt the warmth of blood ooze out from the new wound. With newfound rage, I launched another blade, and watched as it hit. It wasn't enough to kill it, but it retreated slightly.

Just a second of glory passed before I was tackled the front swiftly, giving me no chance to dodge. We hit the floor, knock the blades out of my hand and sending me crashing against the hard floor, causing my head to bounce. Stars adorned my field of vision, and the noises of battle seemed to echo. I struggled against the tight grip of the Omega, reaching out for my fallen knives. Immediately, I felt the twist of my reaching arm, and a small scream escaped my mouth as it made a gory popping noise, indicating that it had been dislocated.

I kicked it hard in the gut, and it gasped for a second, yet it didn't loosen its grip on my bent arm. In an adrenaline influenced dash, I gripped a fallen dagger, and drove it into its arm. Blood splattered over my face as it withdrew, mixing with mine. Using my elbow, I bashed its head into the wall next to us. At last, it collapsed.

I peered up fast, looking for the next Omega, clutching my arm. But, to my astonishment, the hallway that was once filled with attackers out for blood was vacant besides me and the unconscious bodies that lied helpless on the ground.

I suddenly felt icy. I could have sworn that there was more Omegas...

But I pushed it to the back of my mind. I simply needed to deactivate the locks on one more door, and then, we could be free.

_Free._

The possibility of managing to escape this place finally came clear to me. We could actually do this! Pushing myself back up to my feet, I allowed myself the pleasure of a smile as I made my way towards the door, excitement nearly making my good hand shake. This one door was the only thing stopping me- stopping us. The demigods could be safe, the flock could get Angel back, and I... I could see my sister again.

I rapidly began to enter codes into the door, my fingers flickering over the buttons faster then I've ever done them before.

Looking back on that moment, I couldn't believe how naïve I'd been- how stupid I was for thinking that my troubles were over.

Suddenly, I felt the grip of two arms embrace around my throat, appearing what seemed out of nowhere. I thrashed against the Omegas grip, but with only one arm good for fighting with, it was futile. To my horror, I felt the cold, metal syringe dive into my shoulder, filling me with its poison.

I was dropped immediately and I collapsed uselessly on the ground. I willed myself to move with my remaining strength, but every nerve in my body resisted. My vision was slowly being reduced to a soft blur, the lights almost flickering before me. Perhaps it was the poison, or maybe it was my own pure panic, but my heart began to race, pounding so hard that I found it uncomfortable to breathe. My databases whirled, trying to put an name to the venom coursing through my veins, but it provided no match.

What in the world...?

My mind raced for possibilities, struggling to produce a solution. The demigods voices were getting fainter, fading more and more as each wasted second passed of me lying immobilized on the cold ground.

We'd come so far, come so close- just for one stupid attack in my blind spot to defeat me in mere minutes. My consciousness was fading, but I refused to quit fighting. The anger and disappointment in myself burned inside of me- but it all went to ice the moment I heard a particular voice echo down the hallway.

"This is quite disappointing honestly, I doubted that I'd be able to capture you so quickly! But I suppose, if all's well, it ends well," She clicked, feinting mock misery.

_Doctor Hoarfrost. _

She hovered right over my face, her grotesque smile unnaturally wide. Chilled raced up and down my spine as she laughed at my immobilized state, as if my misery brought her joy.

"How's my little concoction working for you, hmm? It took me quite awhile to create such a particular substance that could disable a target without killing it." She sighed.

"Where's...the...antidote? I need...to help...them..." I sputtered angrily, my words failing to run smoothly.

Doctor Hoarfrost laughed hard, "Quite the comedian! I must commend you 113.5, you have the heart of a hero, trying until the very last minute. It's a shame really."

I seethed in my own anger, "The...antidote."

Hoarfrost just shook her head softly, as if I was a stupid, defiantly little girl, "It's too late. The poison has already been in effect too long. You've already lost, and now, at long last, you're finally mine."

Confusion mixed with my anger, "What...why do you want...me?"

Doctor Hoarfrost appeared surprised," You really don't know? After all the information you've been hand fed? Ha! I pity you child. But that is alright. The ignorant are easier to manipulate and bend to your will."

I felt my consciousness wane as I slowly began to fade. I wouldn't be able to keep my eyes open much longer- the poison was becoming unbearable. The bitter taste of failure was filling my mouth. Because of my stupid mistakes, the demigods would never be free, and they were going to be forced to get wings. It was a horrible, sour thought that nearly brought tears, but I didn't give Doctor Hoarfrost the liberty of seeing them.

I chuckled to myself as the pieces of the puzzle clicked easily together at last. Maybe, albeit all our efforts, this whole situation had been futile to begin with. Doctor Hoarfrost had every last inch of it planned out from the start- allowing me to get close to the demigods, knowing that I'd come to help them, sparing my life that one day, and creating the poison... it forced me to wonder what else she had managed to manipulate- what else she had influenced.

"That's it," She purred softly. "Go to sleep. There is no reason to fight anymore..."

As her voice was reduced to oblivion and I cascaded into darkness, I took notice of one last thing.

Just before I blacked out, the endless scream of sirens suddenly shattered the morning air, sending everything into utter chaos. The red flashing of the alarm system washed everything within its reach the same hateful color. I knew that flare well, in fact, I'd been trained to prepare for it.

Intruder Alert.

**Okay, lets keep it short and simple.**

**I was NOT procrastinating I swear. With no computer, little money, and a helluva schedule, this chapter, I agree, took WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY too long to write. It drove me nuts too, so you're not alone. I'm reeeeaaaalllly sorry guys. This was NOT planned. **

**This chapter, I feel, doesn't flow that much, because bits and pieces of it were written at a time. There was even a point where part of it got deleted (not amused) so if it doesn't flow to your liking either I'm sorry. I think I'm the only one who really cares anyway...**

**-medusa's pen **


	19. Chapter 19

**I had some fun writing the first part of this chapter. You may not like it, saying it centers really around Zephyr and Case, but I hope you like it anyway. The second POV... well, you'll see.**

**Mistakes. Yada Yada Yada...**

**I don't own Percy Jackson or Maximum Ride. Unfortunately, the crazy old lady is mine... *sigh***

**Oh! And a super special thanks to owlcity2013, who drew me a beautiful cover for this story! I'll try to put it up ASAP, but she said it still needed to be scanned. This chapter is for her!**

FANG

"I'll be coming around the mountain when they come!" Case screamed for at least the fifth hundred time, much to my ear's displeasure. She wasn't the worst singer, but after hearing the same string of lyrics over and over, anybody's ears would be bleeding.

Our new trio left yesterday in the afternoon, after the wound on my back had shifted from an ugly, bloody mess into a fading scar. Originally, we were prepared to leave at dawn, but Zephyr immediately put a bullet in that game plan.

"If we leave now," he had said, Case's dominate foot already outside the door. "We're going to be _annihilated_.Since there's no one up save for farmers, the New School would gladly take the opportunity to eliminate us!"

I agreed with Zephyr completely, having being skewered by an Omega can really teach a guy to avoid them, but Case had argued that it would be more of a "challenge" and "fun" to take them head on, but Zephyr managed to calm her down.

That's when I realized that it was probably smart to get on Case's good side.

I have flown with a weird bunch before- including a small, talking, winged dog, but Case and Zephyr took strange to a whole new level. Minus the singing, Case enjoyed to tell stories about each and every Omega she's hit in the head with a bat, (the weapon, not the mammal) being extra careful not to neglect even the smallest detail. It was like flying with Nudge- if Nudge was into shiny, red bats and enjoyed beating her enemies into unrecognizable pulps.

Zephyr, on the other hand, never uttered a single word while we flew, which was more my speed. The only noise I'd hear from him was the soft clicking of his glasses while he centered them back in position. But, and here's the weird thing… he was reading the Dictionary. The _Spanish _Dictionary- and it wasn't the pocket edition, either. It was at least a few inches in width, and it must have had the weight of a small, baby elephant. I found it useless because, if I recalled right, Omega's had unlimited access to almost everything in their databases. But, upon questioning Zephyr on the oddity he simply looked up from the pages and said, "So?"

And that was end of_ that_ conversation.

"Case," I mumbled, trying to keep my expression in neutral. "Do you know any other song?"

"…Or more lyrics?" Zephyr practically whispered, uttering his first words in hours.

Case pouted slightly, "Hey! I think it's a fitting song, saying that we've been flying over India for a while now, and, according to my good old databases, we should be arriving to the very mountain range where the New School is stashed."

"Stashed?" Zephyr said, finally closing his monstrosity of a book and slipping it into his tote bag.

"Yeah, what about it?" Case asked defensively.

"Using the word "stashed" in such context makes the New School sound like an illegal candy bar hidden in some kid's tree house."

"And your point is…?"

"Well, it's not the best verb to connect to a heinous facility that kidnaps children for experiments. Perhaps you should more meticulously consider your rhetoric."

"Does it look like I care?" Case turned her head around, sending him a death glare.

"No, not really," Zephyr answered honestly.

"Then do yourself a favor and SHUT UP. Unless of course, you wanted to make an appointment with my bat, then I'd be happy to do it for YOU!"

"No, that's quite alright," Zephyr politely declined, despite Case's flaring temper.

"Are you sure? I'd even make you a deal, two whacks for the price of..."

"You guys!" I finally shouted, my annoyance bar reaching its max. "You guys are fighting over something stupid. Just save you energy for the New School."

Case boar daggers into my skull, probably calculating how many seconds it would take to send the bat on me, but she quickly nodded her head in agreement, "Fang's right! We should save our violence for more noble matters- like throwing Doctor Hoarfrost off a mountain! Onwards, men! Last one to the mountain has to buy dinner!"

And with those random words, she zipped off at full speed, leaving Zephyr and I behind.

"Is she always that…" I fumbled, unable to find the words to describe the Omega.

But Zephyr had no problem finishing the sentence, "Sporadic? Unpredictable? Violent?"

"Exactly," I thanked, searching Zephyr for a response.

"She usually is, honestly. But, most of her threats are empty. She's actually quite the sweetheart," Zephyr said, casually.

"So, her stories about her bat are exaggerated?" I inquired.

Zephyr laughed, "Hell no, those stories are _true. _Sometimes, I don't even bother involving myself in some those Omega fights because she already dominated."

My expression must have been priceless, because Zephyr quickly added, "Thus speaking, she's a natural fighter. She's harmless to her allies, but her enemies would be wise to never stare her into the eye. Or it'll be the last thing they ever do."

"Gee Zephyr, that's reassuring," I said sarcastically.

"Glad I could help," Zephyr said pleasurably. He sighed happily, as if the thought of Case vanquishing her enemies gave him secret joy.

"Do you have a thing for her, or something?" I found myself questioning, raising my eyebrows in surprise when the usually emotionless Omega blushed.

"Well, in retrospect, I guess…I guess," he stuttered, refusing to make eye contact. "But, of course, you're no t-too specific on what _something_ is in this context…"

I rolled my eyes, "I'm pretty sure you know what I mean, Zephyr."

I watched as he gritted his teeth, trying to squirm his way out of the truth. For a guy who's usually suave- he sure caved when pressed under embarrassment. I couldn't help but allow myself the rarity of a small smile.

Unfortunately, Zephyr caught me, and I immediately got a severe look of annoyance, "You know Fang, sometimes you can be a _real_ agitation in the cushion of fat surrounding the pelvis."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Zephyr clicked curtly, twisting his head so that I faded away into his blind spot.

Okay...?

Luckily, the awkwardness of the moment was shattered when Case came racing back, her speed splitting the air like a dagger in flight.

"Get down, NOW!" She screamed, and before I could comprehend what her problem was, she bulleted right into me, destroying my momentum and knocking me right out of flight.

Zephyr was quick to follow, deactivating his flight and letting himself free-fall alongside of us. My wings billowed off to the side as I fell, my eyes casted upward at Case's nearly psychotic expression. Twisted emotions flooded throughout me- shock, anger, and even a little doubt for Case's sanity… but one trait stood out among the rest- flat-out confusion.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I yelled, trying to override the screams of the wind as we quickly gained more and more speed.

"OMEGAS! I SAW THEM APPEAR A FEW MILES AWAY! THEY MUST HAVE REALIZED WE WE'RE COMING TO THE RESCUE!" Case replied, screeching.

"SO YOUR RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION IS TO TACKLE PEOPLE OUT OF THE SKY?!"

"WHAT CASE MEANS IS THAT WE HAVE TO GET TO THE GROUND AND GET TO A MORE CONVIENT LOCATION BEFORE THEY ATTACK! OR ELSE WHERE TOAST!" Zephyr screamed.

"…AND WE COULDN'T GET TO THE GROUND IN A MORE GRACEFUL WAY?"

"HEY," Case started, still clinging to my shirt. "YOU TRY FALLING OUT OF THE SKY GRACFULLY!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT-"

As if knowing that her response wasn't valid, she released her grip on me, letting herself catch the air above me. She smiled and waved dauntingly, shrieking out one last bit of advice, "DON'T LET YOURSELF SPLATTER WHEN YOU HIT THE GROUND!"

And it was in that moment that I wouldn't have minded if they had let me bleed out back in Italy, because now, the level of crazy was getting ridiculous.

I twisted around, forcing myself to look at the ground. Case shot down faster to the earth like a diver, straitening her pose and going down head first- leaving a distance string of _weee!_ behind her.

I wasn't too good at Science, but as I saw the wooded ground below, I knew that if I didn't slow down a bit before nearing the ground, the mere force of falling was going to rip my wings right off.

I drew my arms out wide, slowing my fall significantly. Zephyr fell below me, his glasses falling off his face, causing him to go into a frenzy to get them back. When he extended his body, the air caught him and tossed him back up…right into me. My majestic posture and attempt to stop myself from crashing failed when we collided, and we both went hurdling to the earth at an even more dangerous pace.

And the trees were getting closer and closer and closer…

I had no other choice- I unfurled my wings. Slowly at first, letting them just catch the wind a bit before finally opening them wide. Like black sails, the wind immediately grabbed them, carrying me like a parachute. And, although it didn't rip off my wings in the process, the force of them being pulled back at such a moment was almost like having a God trying to rip them out of their sockets.

Zephyr was still trying to catch his stupid glasses, his fingers grappling at air just below them. Unfortunately, the trees were rapidly gaining their detail back, and in second, we'd be right on top of them. With a frustrated look on his face, he reactivated his boots. The leather, futuristic combat boots immediately swept his feet up… but his body was still carried by the gravity of the fall. With his feet carried upwards and his head still catapulting towards the ground, he was force to do jerky flips to gain control of his composure again. In any other situation, I'm sure it would have been hysterical, but after being tackled out of the sky by a strange girl I hardly knew, I really wasn't in the mood.

The woods were thick below us. From the elevation we were once at, was beautiful. But, it made it difficult to land. We no convent opening, so Zephyr and I had no choice but to land right smack in the middle of all the greenery, destroying every innocent branch in the process.

Branches reached at me and I was forced to withdraw my wings, closing my eyes as I clobbered it all. Green flashed in front of my eyes as leaves were forcefully torn away from their footholds. I cringed as a bird dove out of its nest in attempt to avoid me, its high pitch cry shattering my ears.

At long last, Zephyr and I hit the forest ground with synchronized _oomfs!_ My teeth rattled in my skull, and my heart was still throbbing in my chest. All I could do for a few seconds was breathe, waiting for that all-too-familiar rush of adrenaline to fade away.

"… That was…exciting," Zephyr commented rather casually. "It shattered the left side of my glasses thought. I finally managed to catch them, but I was and idiot and landed right of top of them! I have to admit, that wasn't one of my better landings…"

"Wait," I panted. "You've done this… before?!"

Zephyr appeared perplexed for a second, as if my question was too blunt or obvious for his taste. Then, he replied, "Well, yeah. Case and I have tried battling in the air ever since we stole ourselves a pair of these boots, but it never ended well. Besides, Case thinks it's easier to draw her bat on the ground anyway."

"But doesn't crash landing seem a bit-" I began, but Zephyr interrupted.

"Perilous, Reckless, or maybe even a bit senseless? I agree, but it is the quickest way to the ground. With this tactic, we can allow ourselves to prepare for a battle, or avoid them completely. Besides, Case seems to rebel in it, so I go with the flow."

"Right," I said. "Speaking of which, where the heck is Case?"

"Speak of the devil," Zephyr commented, gesturing towards the out cropping of woods behind me.

As if waiting for her cue, Case materialized out of the woods, her once tied back hair now windblown and adorned with a fair amount of leaves and random twigs. Red scratches assorted themselves on her face and hands were the forestry bit her, but the expression on her face contradicted it all. She had a wide smile, and her eyes were shinning with joy.

"That was even _more_ fun the tenth time! Any recordable casualties?" Case inquired.

"I think I'm alright," I replied simply, standing up and brushing myself off.

"The left lens of my glasses shattered on the fall, but other than that, I'm ready to go," Zephyr replied, resting his glasses back in their rightful place, the new spider web cracks on the left lens disorientating his eye.

"Good. Too bad about your glasses though. I can't guarantee you that will find a Walgreens in the Himalayan forests, but you can keep your eyes peeled," Case stated, cracking up at her own weak joke while Zephyr rolled his eyes.

"Alright men," Case paused her laughter as she withdrew her bag, which actually wasn't a bag at all. It was an abandon guitar case. I had asked about it once, but all I got in response was a long winded story about how she trashed the guitar by whacking an Omega in the head with it, but still used the case as a tool to carry her supplies.

Unzipping it, she reveled its contents. It contained food items, extra clothes, an empty first-aid kit, my crowbar from Italy, extra knives, a mysterious canteen, and, of course, the famous, red bat itself. She immediately grabbed her prized possession first before tossing back my own weapon, the crowbar.

"By the distance of the Omegas, they should be on us any second. If the Omegas are lucky, they'll pass over us. But if they find us, well," she gave her bat a reassuring squeeze. "They're going to meet my bat the hard way."

With those words of motivational wisdom, she slung her pack back over her shoulders, and began running back up the mountainside, with Zephyr and I quick to follow.

This time, I was prepared not to be bettered by them. After a humiliating defeat back in Italy, (Although the Voice was partially to blame for that one too- which I hadn't heard from since Italy) I was more than determined to knock a little sense into those blank-eyed drones. I felt pumped and ready to go despite the crash landing I had just preformed moments earlier.

After a grand ten minutes of walking up the mountain, not a single Omega flew by. Nothing but the wildlife made any movements or noise, and I was starting to lose my fire.

"Hey Case," Zephyr murmured at last. "Are you sure there are Omegas? Or is it just another cloud, like last time?"

"Dude," Case started defensively. "For the last time, that cloud did look _just _like a mob of Omegas!"

"Maybe I'm not the only one who needs glasses in this squad…" Zephyr nearly whispered.

"I _swore_ they were Omegas! I'm pretty sure clouds don't have red eyes and are armed!"

"Wait," I stated. "Are you guys saying that there might not be Omegas after us after all?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Both Omegas glared at each other for a split second, as if they had engaged into an intense staring contest. I was left standing behind both of them, shaking my head at how easy it was for those two to begin an argument.

I thought for sure that I was going to have to watch them stare at each for another good ten minutes, but at that moment, swift shadows rushed over our heads like swarming bees.

Omegas.

"See," Case said proudly. "Do they look like clouds to you?"

"You guys," I said pointing up towards the sky. "Look."

Both head immediately turned towards the sky. Although there were in fact Omegas…they weren't attacking us at all. They simply rushed over our heads, their blurred silhouettes cascading over us.

Case relaxed the grip on her bat, letting the metal tip graze the ground, "Where are they going? They couldn't have malfunctioned, could they?"

Zephyr shook his head readjusting his broken glasses, "No- the Omegas weren't the ones making the errors. It was us."

I gripped my crowbar tighter, "What do you mean, we made the mistake?"

Zephyr sighed softly, "This whole time, we thought that they were going after us- but I don't think they are. They're going after a different threat… a new target all together."

Case seemed mildly disappointed, "Who else would be on this mountain? At this time? I mean, I have seen some pretty ruthless door-to-door salesmen…"

Case never did get to finish her rant about viscous girl scouts, because just then, a scream lite the once eerie air. It was faint, but clearly audible. It was a voice that I knew too well.

"Nudge!"

HOARFROST

The bloodied scalpel in my hand dripped until I finally contained it, drying it off with a cloth that could once be called white. But after all the years of where, it's bright, snowy hue had faded into one of a dark, menacing red. It was a permanent stain, unconquerable by any technique. It would forever remain that deep, throaty color.

Good. I had preferred it that way.

Like an artist standing back to admire and critique his work, I settled my gaze on my masterpiece. I was, in my own eyes, a very modest woman. But, at that moment in time, I openly admitted that my work was flawless. Of course, my beautiful labor had yet to see action, my the subject was still unconscious- limp and exhausted from pain, I suppose.

Yet, the boy, almost a man, was even more admirable in his current state. His already messy black hair swept over his closed eyes. I knew that for a fact that they were a vivid, sea green- and only a few hours ago I had adored how they lit up in hatred when they glared upon me. His orange shirt was torn and tattered from the days spent here, blood mingling with the fabric. Albeit, this scene did bring me secret joy, knowing I had been the one to reduce him to this misery, it was my latest work that brought me the biggest adrenaline rush of all.

His wings.

The overlapping feathers mimicked the ocean- aquamarines, blues, and even a slight trim of soft white to resemble sea foam.I could nearly see the waves lapping against the beach when I looked at them. Pride filled me. The mixed hues of the feathers were of my choosing, because I knew it would complement the champion of Poseidon quite brilliantly. Despite his flawed body, his wings made him perfect.

I had attached them more efficiently than the previous scientists had for their last creation, the Erasers. This set of wings should be accustomed to flying, and, although the lack of misery should be disappointing, the wings won't cause pain in or out of flight. I hadn't wanted to taint my art with drastic, disappointing errors, anyway.

My exhaustion was peeking. I had single handedly (and successfully) completed all seven surgeries. I was extremely ecstatic that I was able to begin them so early. The feathers from Angel's wings immensely aided in the construction of each pair delicate wings, shaving off time. The coloring, of course, had devoured daylight considerably, but it was all worth it. I loved them all- from the reflective silver ones, to the black pair. There was a pair that matched the sky, to another that resembled fire. The pair that belonged to Pluto's daughter appeared like precious jewels half-embedded in earth, while the charm speaker was awarded soft pink wings. The pink feathers, was another one of my special requests. It would make for a good laugh later.

The son of Poseidon shifted as much as his restraints would allow, breaking away from deep sleep and entering a shallow one. He would be awake soon. It was a shame that I would be unable to see his expression when he awakened. But, alas, there was still work to do.

The door behind me cackled open, and the face I expected appeared. I turned, doing nothing to mask my disappointment of having to abandon my situation. I had, in fact, called him here for a good, defined reason. But, upon his arrival, he had been quite the ignoramus and had set off the alarm, throwing every Omega and even Jeb into mass panic. On any other note, I would have been pleased with the hell that had went down early that morning, but with the paranoia levels so overwhelming high with the promise of a rescue party… it was difficult to reduce Jeb back into his usual self.

At first, I had been mad with the new arrival, and for once, agreeing with Jeb. Yet, I found it hard to be angry with him for a long time. He was the only person in the world that I was considerably affectionate towards, and I believe it surprised Jeb greatly when I took such a tone with him. I failed to find it odd, though. Yes, I will agree, my personality is not warm. But, this man wasn't a co-worker or a specimen.

He was my eldest and only son, rouge descendent of the goddess Hecate and a master swordsman. He was typically a lone wolf, and it was difficult to gain contact with him. He was considered, in many eyes, to be some brutal killer that authorities were unable to locate…which he was, in more than one country, if I hadn't mistaken.

He did make Mommy proud.

Despite it all, he had come at my request, which meant that he too must have a small, soft for me.

"Overlooking your creation again, Mom?" He said simply, leaning against the entrance of the door for support.

He looked nearly the same as I had last remembered. His untethered, white-washed blonde hair favored one side of his face over the other which hid his onyx eyes. His visage was coated with scars, both old and new. His attire was simple, baggy jeans and a torn t-shirt, all hidden under a much to be desired, navy blue cloak. Despite his fearsome title, he had a thin build, almost like a stalk of corn.

I laughed softly, "It's the curse of a perfectionist, I suppose."

His ghostly half-smile lit his face for a brief second, before being replaced by a more serious demeanor, "I suppose you didn't call me here just to talk about work."

I nodded, pleased that I was seeing myself in him, "Correct. I have a very special job for you indeed."

I exited the room, locking the door behind me and beckoning him to follow. I lead him to my office- a rather cold and underused room, and I then took it upon myself to lock that door, drawing the shades.

I turned to him, "I need you to do me a favor, Xander."

He made a impatient gestured with his hand, begging me to continue.

"I need you to guard something precious. You can't let it get away," I spoke softly, yet sternly.

The task seemed to bore him, but he nodded, "And what is that?"

I pointed towards the small closet in the office, "See for yourself."

He appeared a bit confused at this statement, but he wasted no time throwing open the closet to view my precious little captive. I couldn't contain my smile as she came into view. Her black hair was a tangled mess, her leather outfit was in shambles, and she was adorned in her own, dried blood. She was bound tightly at the wrists, which were knotted above her head. Her now bare feet were restrained as well. Duct tape suppressed her mouth, making her unable to speak. As Xander threw the closet door wide, her eyes opened slightly, still glazed over from the poison I had injected her with.

To my surprise, Xander recognized her immediately, "The silver-eyed twin! It's been awhile since I last saw you! My, have you grown!"

I was impressed. My son must have done his fair share of research to know who she was.

Amelia glared at him, thrashing against her bonds and screaming through the tape. He laughed sickly, as if pitying the young, trapped Omega.

He drew his favorite sword, Dragon Cry, and held it against the skin of her throat, "How cute! Still determined to break free, are we?"

Amelia faltered with her thrashing, but still glared spitefully. Xander only laughed again, "It must have been a serious pain to get ahold of her _and_ to get it past your boss."

I shook my head, "Her powers are suppressed, and Jeb is too stupid to notice her absents immediately. Besides, if it all goes well, tomorrow my plan will take action."

He smiled, digging the tip of his sword a little father into her neck. She squirmed slightly, her expression of resistances faltering slightly, but not for long.

My son's laughter was uncontrollable, "This outta be fun. 'Nothing like testing out my sword before the final battle occurs."

I shook my head, "You better not kill her."

He looked innocent for a split second, "But... there is two, right?"

"Exactly," I stated. "That is your second task."

Unwilling to peer up from his harassment, he questioned, "Gimme the details."

"The other one, the twin with golden eyes… I want her dead."

Amelia's silver iris's widened as fear finally set in. I could almost feel her panic building as she squirmed even harder.

My son questioned it, "Why not just kill this one? It would be a lot easier."

"No, no," I contradicted. "I specifically want 113.5 because she's less….ostentatious. She'll be much swifter to break, if you know what I mean."

Xander smirked, "I thought you liked a challenge?"

Much to his pleasure, I rolled my eyes, "Are you going through with it or not?"

He smiled, "Consider it done."

My own gruesome smile played across my lips, "Good."

"Now," Xander withdrew his sword, placing it back in the scabbard. "Is there any food here? I'm starving."

Again, I rolled my eyes, giving him directions to the cafeteria. He left without closing the closet door, leaving me to do it. I was tired, and I was meaning to get some sleep in the lounge.

I gripped the handle to the closet door, when I noticed Amelia had her head bent down. She was no longer struggling with the defiance she had displayed towards Xander. She was completely silent.

I gripped her chin gently, forcing her face upwards. To my surprise, her eyes were filled with tears. They fell down her cheeks in a silent sorrow, something I was unaccustomed to. She resisted and tried to set her head back to its originally position, but she was still weak, and unable to.

Her sister must mean a lot to her. I suppose it does take a lot for a once strong warrior to cry.

I giggled softly, standing up and locking the closet door.

It was going to be fun to take her precious sister away from her.

**Can you see the family resemblance? **

**-medusa's pen**


End file.
